


Meet The Family

by My_Trex_has_fleas



Series: The Sanctuary [1]
Category: Poldark (TV 2015), Return to Treasure Island (TV 1996)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Blood and Violence, Explicit Language, M/M, Magic, Sanctuary AU, Supernatural Elements, Vampires, Werewolves, Yetis - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-09
Updated: 2017-12-09
Packaged: 2019-02-12 14:13:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12961083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/My_Trex_has_fleas/pseuds/My_Trex_has_fleas
Summary: Ross Poldark retired from the SAS after something happened to him that no-one could explain. He wants to just get on with his life so why is MI6 suddenly interested in him and who runs the mysterious institution known as the Sanctuary.





	1. In Introduction and a Job Offer

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Teigh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Teigh/gifts), [Miss_Gemmie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Gemmie/gifts).



_London, February 1868._

_The icy rain had cleared the streets of all but the hardiest souls. It came down in sheets and the horse pulling the cab was not best pleased if the way its ears were laid back against its head were any indication. Its driver was in a similar state, shoulders hunched and the collar of his cape pulled up and his hat pulled down over his ears as the water sluiced off his shoulders. The building it drew up to was just another warehouse along the wharf, right on the river and not particularly drawing attention for any reason. The driver pulled his horse to a stop and half turned as the door of the cab opened._

_The woman who got out was swaddled in a heavy cloak but even under the thick cloth it was clear that she was tall and graceful. Her companion was even taller, his black hat shadowing his face. He took her elbow and escorted her to the door, opening the heavy wooden door. It admitted them into a bare room. Here there was a fire burning and three others awaiting them._

_The three people were as different as it was possible to be. The man by the fire was tall and broad shouldered, his dark skin and short cropped black hair backlit by the flames. The second man was pale, almost unhealthily so. His eyes were an odd shade of grey, so light they seemed almost colourless and they were matched by a thatch of almost white blonde hair. The woman with them was halfway between, her eyes a deep green that seemed to glow from within and dressed in a particularly exotic fashion. The man by the fire was dressed in the manner of an explorer, while the other was richly garbed in clothes that spoke of money and good taste._

_‘Good evening.’ The first woman was now revealed, her skin a rich creamy white and contrasted with her dark hair and eyes. Unlike the other woman, her costume was the height of fashion and made from deep red velvet under her cloak that made her complexion almost glow. ‘I am glad we are all assembled.’_

_‘Mary.’ The man by the fire came to her, kissing her cheek with an affection that spoke of a long friendship._

_‘John.’ She looked at the others. ‘Charles. Anne.’_

_‘I see you bought the archaeologist with you.’ the pale man chuckled. He looked at the other man. ‘You two make a matched pair. You find the places and he digs them up.’ He chuckled at his own remark._

_‘John Silver.’ The man stepped forward and her companion shook his hand._

_‘James MacGraw.’ His accent was the soft burr of the Highlands. ‘You are well known in my circles, Mr Silver.’_

_‘As are you, Dr MacGraw.’ Silver grinned. ‘It seems strange that we have never met before.’_

_‘Charles Vane.’ The pale man extended his own hand._

_‘The eminent historian.’ MacGraw inclined his head and shook it in turn._

_‘This is Anne Bonney.’ Mary gestured to the other woman._

_‘The medium.’ MacGraw said this with deference. ‘I have read your papers with great interest.’_

_‘And I have read your monographs, Dr MacGraw.’ Anne’s voice was ever so slightly accented, a hint of India in her words. ‘I found your work on the early civilisations of India most interesting.’_

_‘Thank you.’ MacGraw smiled. His face was rough-hewn, his eyes grey and his hair a dark auburn and cut close to the head._

_‘Now that our introductions are concluded, perhaps we can discuss our mutual interest.’ Mary said. ‘Our host is no doubt going to make a grand entrance shortly.’_

_‘I am already here, my dear.’ The voice behind them made them all turn. A veritable rake of a man stood at another door that had previously not been there. His was thin to the point of emaciation, his nose beaky and his thinning grey hair standing up in all directions and dressed in a rather austere fashion._

_‘Good evening, Edward.’ Mary went to him and he took her hand in both of his and kissed the knuckles._

_‘You are radiant as always my dear.’ he replied. ‘Shall we?’_

_‘We shall.’ She was now smiling eagerly. He offered her his arm and Mary took it and they moved towards the door. He opened it and ushered her through then turned to the others._

_‘Well, come along then.’ he instructed. ‘You’re not going to see what we have here.’_

_They all looked at each other and followed him through the door, gasping as they realised they were now standing in a huge open courtyard, laid with lawn and sporting a magnificent fountain in the centre, shingle paths spoking out from it. Behind that, light pouring from window upon window was a castle of Gothic design. The garden was surrounded by high walls and so there was no sound from the street, only the trickle of water._

_‘Dear God.’ The look of astonishment on Silver’s face spoke for all of them. ‘How?’_

_‘There are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamed of in your philosophy. You know that as well as I, John.’ Edward smiled at them. ‘Welcome to the Sanctuary.’ He kept on walking. ‘Supper will be waiting and this weather is foul.’_

_The front door opened even as they got to it and inside was a man, or at least an approximation of one. His limbs were too long, his hairless domed skull too large and his eyes black without sclera or pupil._

_‘Professor.’ he intoned and ushered them in. Mary showed no sign of being surprised by him, but the others were unable to contain their frank looks of curiosity._

_‘This is Cain.’ Edward explained. ‘He’ll take your coats.’_

_They removed their outer layers and followed Edward from the hallway they were standing in to a richly furnished room. Here there was a table laid out and the smell of rich food was coming from dishes on a sideboard._

_‘I know it’s not strictly protocol.’ Edward said. ‘But please do help yourselves. I believe Cain has made lamb chops.’_

_‘You’re not joining us?’ Mary asked as he escorted her to the table and sat down. Her face was concerned._

_‘Food has not been agreeing with me of late.’ Edward sat down as well. Cain came to his elbow and poured out wine and then moved around the table. The others were now filling their plates and making their way back to the table. Flint had bought a plate for Mary, which he placed in front of her and she smiled her thanks._

_‘Now.’ This was from Vane. ‘I know that we have been brought here on your request, Professor Teach. We are all curious as to why. Has it to do with your prolonged absence?’_

_Edward smiled and gestured at their plates._

_‘Eat first.’ he said. ‘Explanations after.’ He watched them eat and then looked at Mary, his smile warm._

_Once they were finished, Cain came to clear their plates and then brought in coffee._

_‘Now.’ Edward sat back. ‘We can begin.’_

_‘Well, I know that we have been asked to come on some kind of business.’ Silver said and Edward nodded. ‘Something to do with why you went to Carpathia.’_

_‘You have all been part of our organisation for some time.’ Edward replied. ‘You have worked in our capacity to further our cause and bring these creatures to us. Among all our operatives, you are the most loyal and the most trusted. That is why I have asked you to come here. I know you all individually, but this is the first time I have brought you together and the reason for this is one of paramount importance.’_

_He looked at them meaningfully and they all seemed to grasp the significance of his words at the same time._

_‘You’ve found it.’ Mary’s dark eyes went wide. The others were similarly affected._

_‘Not it, my dear.’ Edward was smug. ‘Him.’_

***********

**Syria, Present Day**

The tunnels were dark and smelled like old bones left in the sun and as hot as the arid landscape above. The four men moved like shadows through them, the infra-red targeting lasers from their weapons lighting up their field of vision with an eerie glow through their low profile PNGs and their very footsteps lacking any sound that might give them away. Their all-black gear and grey and black fatigues made them blend into the darkness and they wore no identifying marks, the only sign as to their identity the face covering they wore that was printed with the lower half of a skull.

The one in front held up a hand in the sign for them to stop and they did to a man. He signalled again and they spread out across the tunnel. Now it could be heard, the dull murmur of voices speaking in Arabic.

Another signal and they started moving forward in unison again, gaining on their objective. This cell had been eluding them for months, always on the move and proving particularly tricky to catch. Their mission briefing had informed them that part of this was because two of the men they were hunting were Americans, and ex-military no less. There had been another, one of their own, but they had killed him and his cell four nights before.

The tunnel was starting to open up, a light glimmering in the distance and as a man they reached up to disengage their night vision. The voices were louder now, and the man in front frowned beneath his goggles as he listened.

Nothing they were saying was making sense and he could hear the almost overwhelming terror in their voices. Then he picked out a word and that was when everything changed from a relatively covert mission to something quite different.

He stopped his men again, listening intently as the men just beyond his field of sight argued. There were seven of them, and two opposing sides. One group was insisting that they leave, the others protesting that they would surely be killed by the Russian air strike currently hitting the remains of the city in an effort to wipe them out.

‘Delta 6.’ The voice in his earpiece was brisk and completely without emotion. ‘You have clearance to proceed. Remove the objective.’

He didn’t answer. Instead he moved forward, but now with reluctance. Nothing he was hearing made sense. The word was said again and he felt a chill go through him. As outlandish as it sounded to hear that word being used, the men beyond certainly sounded like they believed it.

‘Delta 6.’ The voice repeated. ‘Your objective.’

He knew what he needed to do and raised a hand and felt the others fall in behind him. He gave the signal and then they attacked.

It was over quickly. The men they had trapped in their own lair had been too distracted to fight back, only some of them lunging for weapons discarded on the ground before they were taken down with short controlled bursts of fire that proved deadly and efficient.

Now they stood and looked around them, checking the bodies for any sign of life. The room they were in was crammed with gear and weapons and they started going through everything. The man known as Delta 6 moved to the table in the middle and looked at the maps spread out, the notations written on them in Arabic and code. He knew the helmet cam he wore would be picking up the details and the analysts on the other side would no doubt be slobbering over what they were now seeing.

‘Boss?’ It was one of his men, a tall Welshman they called Nedge. Out here they used nicknames only.

‘What is it?’ he asked and turned to look at him.

‘There’s something coming.’ Nedge nodded at the tunnel and Delta 6 moved to stand next to him. At first he was confused, the flicker of fire at the end baffling him until it reached him and he realised that the word he’d heard being used was literal.

By then, of course, it was too late.

********

**London – Four Months Later**

Ross’ mobile phone rang at seven in the morning, almost to the second. He rolled over, flinging one arm out to grab it and then peered groggily at the screen. He hadn’t been woken by it. Instead it had simply roused him from that odd space between sleep and waking that he seemed to occupy most of the time now when he went to bed and which left him constantly irritable and prone to snap at everyone who had the misfortune to speak to him.

‘What?’ It came out sharp, his frustration at his lack of sleep and the annoyance that anyone would disturb him compounding into rudeness.

‘Captain Poldark?’ The voice on the other side was smooth and had perfect cut glass annunciation.

‘Sorry. I’m not him anymore.’ Ross barked and hung up, turning over in a huff. Not a second later his phone buzzed. Ross contemplated ignoring the text, then grumbled as he dug the phone out of the duvet and read the message.

_Would you like to be him again?_

That simple line of text instantly made Ross’ brain clear and he sat bolt upright, years of training kicking in as his mind started racing, trying to make sense of the scenario.

No-one had his number except for Verity. Ross had made damn sure of that. The cheap pay-as-you-go mobile phone had been bought second hand off Gumtree and the sim was unregistered. He was, for all intents and purposes, untraceable and yet here was someone using his number and knowing not just who he was but his rank. That meant Intelligence, which in turn begged who the hell would want to speak to him from MI6. Verity would have not given it to anyone without his permission, especially not the MOD, so they could not have tracked him down that way. Besides, it was highly unlikely they would start by offering him his commission back, not after what had happened in Syria and only four months after he’d been unceremoniously discharged on medical grounds for what was coyly referred to as ‘psychiatric problems’ by his superiors and a severe case of PTSD on his paperwork.

Ross was very well aware of what they all thought of him – a highly decorated serving member of the Special Air Service who had seemingly come unglued on a top secret operation and been responsible for the deaths of the other three men in his squad. He’d seen the looks during his first debriefing after being extracted, seen the horror on their faces as he’d ranted about what had attacked them and killed his men. They had clearly been convinced that he was having some sort of trauma-induced breakdown. It hadn’t looked good at all, especially seeing that he was the only one to walk out of those tunnels alive. Ross knew he could have lied, could have made something up to suit his needs but he’d stuck to the truth and for his trouble he’d been quickly processed, shipped back to England and subjected to a series of intense debriefings where they had made him repeat his story countless times before throwing him at an army therapist who’d diagnosed him as being unfit for active duty.

 

His hearing had been held behind closed doors, and afterwards he’d been discreetly removed from what had been his life for the previous twelve years and into a new existence with a hefty pension and a disclosure that bound him from ever discussing what he’d seen, heard and done during his twelve years as a serving member of the SAS.

Now he sat and looked at his phone screen and wondered. He tapped out a reply and sent it back.

_Who are you?_

He waited, heart starting to pick up speed. Sure enough, the reply didn’t take long.

_An interested party. Have you ever heard of the Diogenes Club?_

Now Ross was curious and he answered, nose almost twitching as he caught the smell of a potential mystery.

_No. Who are you?_

The answer completely ignored his own question.

_There will be a car waiting for you at twelve. Make sure you dress appropriately._

Ross tried again but this time there was no reply forthcoming. He would have been lying if he’d said that he wasn’t now thoroughly intrigued.

This wasn’t his first encounter with the Intelligence community. A month after his discharge he’d been approached by a man he’d known at Harrow and who was now a high ranking official in the building across the river. He’d come bearing a job offer, but Ross had disliked the terms and turned him down flat. He didn’t want to go and sit behind a desk for days at a time staring at intel. He wanted to be out there, right in the middle of things.

If this could offer him the chance to go back to that, he just might be interested enough to investigate.

*******

Five hours later, he was standing outside the block of flats where he was currently squatting in an old friend’s vacant spare room. He’d had the foresight to bring a suit with him from Nampara when he’d left and was now wearing it. It felt strange, the civilian clothing sitting ill on him after a lifetime of uniforms, the highly polished dress shoes too light and the tie too constricting. Still he’d looked good when he’d checked himself in the mirror, tall and lean and sporting the deep tan operations in the Middle East had left him with, along with the nasty scar that ran from the corner of his left eye down the side of his face and to his mouth. The suit was the last one he’d bought, black to match the wedding party at Verity’s marriage to Andrew and paired with a simple white shirt and an ivy green silk tie. He’d even had his father’s cufflinks to wear with it and he fiddled with them now, the winter wind cutting through his overcoat and scarf.

Right on twelve, a black saloon pulled up. It was unmarked, but the driver was clearly ex-military. He got out and opened the door for Ross and Ross could see him itching to salute. It was an old habit and one he knew well himself. He got in and settled into the luxurious leather interior. Whoever this was that wanted to meet him, it was someone of importance and that made him even more curious as to where he was headed.

The drive through London took him into Pall Mall of all places, right to a street of grand buildings, stopping outside a graceful white Classical construction. It had started raining and Ross grimaced as he got out the car and looked up at the building in front of him. It was hardly discreet, the door a beautiful glass and iron thing flanked by the brass plaque proclaiming its name. He raised a hand to ring the bell, but it was opened before he made contact.

He stepped through the outer vestibule, tiled in the most colourful of Victorian fashions, and then walked into the main hall. The carpet was plush underfoot, his steps completely muffled by the thick pile. As he came inside, Ross was greeted by a man in a tailcoat and pinstripe trousers who gave him a completely neutral look and gestured for his coat, not saying a word. Ross shrugged out of it and it was taken from him, along with his gloves and scarf. The man took them away and returned. He indicated for Ross to sign the guest book before inviting Ross to follow him.

The entire club was decorated in quiet opulence, the lights shaded by frosted glass and the wood panelling gleaming. He saw a reading room to the left, his eyes picking out details with a speed that most would find frightening as he clocked the number of occupants before tracking the entrances to other rooms and his mind working out the quickest way to escape if he needed to.

Yes, old habits died very hard indeed.

He was taken up the main staircase, a grand mahogany affair, and along another corridor that ran the length of the building. The double doors at the end were his ultimate destination and they were opened by his escort before he was urged to enter with a discreet gesture.

Ross went in, and then smiled. It lacked humour though, and he regarded the man sitting in front of him with something akin to distaste before surveying the room itself. It was smaller, and lined with bookshelves, the seating a pair of deep tan leather Chesterfields. There was a fire in the ornate Victorian grate between them and on the low table was a decanter of brandy and several crystal snifters.

‘Ross.’ The man stood up and extended a hand, manners always at the forefront. ‘It’s so good to see you.’

‘I wish I could say the same.’ he replied, but shook the hand nevertheless. ‘Although I have to say that if this is just another way of MI6 trying to recruit me that my answer is going to be the same as it was last time, Ant.’

The Right Honourable Anthony Hollingsworth smiled and sat back down. He gestured for Ross to join him and Ross did.

‘Yes, I know.’ His smile was borderline arrogant, a hallmark of his position as one of the Intelligence community’s highest ranking operatives. ‘I am still reeling.’ There was a distinctly mocking tone to his voice. ‘I fear I shall never recover.’ He nodded at a leather bound folio on the table between them. ‘Have you had lunch? The club does a wonderful Fillet Lili.’

‘Cut to the chase.’ Ross said. ‘The last time we spoke, I said I had no interest in joining so I want to know why you lot are messaging my phone with cryptic little notes telling me I might get my life back.’

‘Ah yes.’ Anthony smiled. ‘Well, I wasn’t exactly the one responsible for that. I was just tasked with meeting you here so as to provide the introductions as it were.’

‘What the bloody hell are you talking about?’ Ross was now starting to get annoyed again. ‘If you didn’t message me then who did?’

‘Our other guest.’ Anthony replied. ‘Someone who has far more sway than I do.’ He leaned over and poured himself a drink. ‘Would you like a brandy?’

‘I’d like a bloody explanation.’ Ross gave him a stern look. ‘Who is this other guest?’

‘I am not at liberty to disclose that.’ Anthony had a smirk on his face that made Ross want to lean over and smack it off. ‘She will be here soon enough.’

Ross frowned. He had seen only men in the club and immediately deduced that the club stuck to the archaic tradition of being men-only. Anthony seemed to guess this and smiled.

‘She’s quite exceptional, our guest.’ He smirked at Ross, clearly enjoying his discomfort. ‘She’s granted access to places no other person is.’

‘Is she one of yours?’ Ross asked, eyes narrowed at him.

‘No, Captain Poldark.’ A voice from behind him made Ross start. ‘I’m one of mine.’

Ross was astonished. He gaped at the section of bookcase that now stood open. He’d taken the sofa that faced the door as a matter of course, another little thing he’d never be able to kick. He’d never expected something that seemed right out of a Sherlock Holmes novel, even if he really should have. God knew that the upper echelon of MI6 had a taste for the dramatic.

He regarded the woman that came into the room, frowning at her attire. She was wearing a beautifully tailored three piece suit, black like his, with a teal shirt and buttercup yellow tie. It shouldn’t have worked, but it did and she carried it off with aplomb. Her thick black hair was tied in a ponytail and her eyes were just as dark, contrasting with creamy skin. She was quite possibly one of the loveliest women Ross had ever seen.

She walked across to take a seat on the sofa next to Anthony. Ross clocked other things, the diamond earrings, the Ferragamo alligator shoes and matching case for the tablet she had in her hand. Everything screamed wealth and elegance, but it was the kind of understated elegance that came with breeding and that put him on alert.

‘Ross, this is Dr Mary Read.’ Anthony said and she crossed one leg over the other.

‘Thank you, Anthony.’ She gave him a smile that said very clearly he was dismissed. ‘You may leave us.’

Ross watched with no small amount of amusement as Anthony got up, clearly perturbed at being asked to leave. He hovered at the end of the sofa.

‘I was told to stay.’ He looked oddly ill at ease and Ross’ suspicions about the woman he was now faced with increased tenfold. She must wield an enormous amount of power in Whitehall for Anthony to be shifting from foot to foot like a schoolboy. ‘They want me to be involved.’

‘And I am telling you to go.’ Mary’s eyes flashed once and Ross caught just a hint of what she really was underneath. ‘And what they want is of no consequence to me.’ She shifted and now those black eyes were on Ross, piercing right through him. ‘The good Captain and I need some privacy.’

Anthony seemed to be halfway between protesting and stamping his foot in a fit of pique. Eventually he turned and left the room. Mary watched him go over Ross’ shoulder and then lounged back in her seat.

‘Now then.’ She smiled at him. ‘I suppose introductions are in order.’

‘So you aren’t MI6?’ Ross was confused.

‘No, but we are aligned with them.’ Mary said. ‘We tend to operate outside their parameters though. Our interests are not the same as theirs.’

‘And those are?’ Ross felt a chill, his instincts telling him he was about to be entering into something that he had not signed up for.

‘Let me ask you something, Captain.’ Mary tilted her head and looked at him. ‘What attacked you in Syria?’

‘If you are who you say you are, then you already know that.’ Ross countered. ‘You no doubt have my file.’

‘I do.’ Mary’s lips curved in a pleased smile. ‘I have to say that I like what I have read.’

‘Really?’ Ross leaned his elbow on the arm of the sofa. ‘I wish my superiors had agreed with you.’ He met her eyes and held her gaze with no sign of intimidation. ‘Now would you mind telling me just what the hell I am doing here?’

‘Why didn’t you just tell them it was insurgents that attacked you?’ Mary countered. ‘It would have made things a lot simpler for you.’

‘Because it wasn’t.’ Ross dug his fingers into the arm, feeling the old anger rise up. ‘I know what I saw. They can talk about my psychological problems until they are blue in the face but I saw what I saw.’

‘You called it a monster.’ Mary’s dark eyes were intent. ‘Do you know what it was?’

‘No.’ Ross shot back. ‘Do you?’

‘There was never any proof.’ Mary was just as quick to counter. ‘No video footage, no other witnesses.’

‘They were dead.’ Ross kept his cool, but underneath his blood was boiling. ‘And the footage from my helmet cam was corrupted.’ It had been one of the worst things about the whole sorry incident. He’d sat and watched in disbelief as the footage that his helmet cam had captured showed nothing but static and recorded only the screams of his men and the sound of gunfire.

‘Was it?’ Mary smiled again. ‘Or is that what they told you before they got on the phone to me and asked me to have a look at it.’

Now Ross was lost for words.

‘What the hell are you saying?’ He felt sick to his stomach.

Across from him, Mary opened the case and started up her tablet. She punched in a few commands and then handed it across to him. Ross hesitated and then took it. He touched the little white triangle on the screen and then it all came flooding back to him as he watched the shaky footage he’d captured that day.

It had come from the passageway, a darkness so profound it seemed like he could touch it. Then the flames had come and they had burned Nedge alive while leaving his clothing untouched. His screams had rent the air, and they did again as Ross watched him die in the footage once more. He could hear himself panting in terror, saw his own hands come up and start firing at the creature that materialised from the darkness, a horned monstrosity with eyes that glowed like live coals and giant clawed hands that reached out and grabbed Marshall, physically ripping him in half before it threw him aside. Then a massive hand came out of the smoke and it caught Ross at the side of the head and he flew through the air and slammed into the wall.

Ross could barely breathe, the fear and rage inside him reaching a point where he was utterly still as he watched himself scramble to his feet. It was just him and Carlisle now, his screams to fall back sounding tinny over the microphone and almost drowned out by the creature’s roars. Then they turned and ran but Carlisle got caught and he disappeared into the darkness, his cries abruptly cut off. Now it was just him, his desperate breaths coming short and harsh as he ran for his life, finally breaking out and into the night. That was the end of the clip, the cam cutting out when he yanked his helmet off and threw it into the dirt as he screamed and screamed.

He stopped the video and looked at Mary, blood pounding in his ears.

‘Who the fuck are you?’ He had no cause left for politeness.

Mary was watching him carefully, her face now full of feeling. She leaned across and took the tablet back from him.

‘I am someone who is offering you a job Ross.’ she said.

Ross could only choke out a brittle laugh.

‘Why?’ He couldn’t quite process what he’d just seen, even though he’d lived it and had been trying to make everyone else believe him.

‘Because this is the first time I’ve seen an _iftar_ attack someone and leave them alive.’ Mary replied. She looked at him. ‘Do you know what that is?’

‘I know the word.’ Ross leaned forward and bowed his head, closing his eyes against the memories. ‘I heard the insurgents talking about it before we attacked.’

‘It was a particularly difficult one to get rid of.’ Mary replied. ‘That’s when I hit on the idea of you becoming part of our little network. I did some research and found out that you are rather extraordinary.’

‘I’m just a soldier.’ Ross replied and she shook her head.

‘The reason you were able to get away from inside a maze of tunnels in the dark was because you possess a remarkable skill.’ she replied. ‘You keep it well hidden though. It was only by analysing just how much you suppress your gift that I was able to spot it. But you weren’t as careful as you should have been. There were simply too many cases of you knowing things you couldn’t possibly have known and escapes from places that could not be explained away.’

‘It’s not what you think.’ Ross protested.

‘Oh, I think it just might be.’ Mary replied. ‘How long have you known you were different, Ross?’

It was like she was looking right into him and Ross felt a strange urge to open up and tell her everything. It was unlike anything he’d ever felt. Then he caught himself.

‘What are you doing?’ he asked.

‘I’m sorry.’ Mary sounded sincere. ‘I am extremely good at persuading people. Sometimes I forget to turn it off.’ She sat back. ‘When did the precognition start?’

‘When I was a child.’ Ross replied. ‘It was just flashes. I thought it happened to everyone.’

‘You didn’t have one that day?’ Mary asked and he shook his head.

‘No.’ He sighed. ‘I’ve gone over it again and again to try and understand why. But there was nothing.’

‘The _iftar_ felt something about you was different to the other men. I think that’s why it left you alive.’ Mary explained. ‘What about the languages?’

‘They just come naturally to me.’ Ross protested again.

‘You speak forty-two languages fluently, Ross.’ Mary replied. ‘That’s incredible even by polyglot standards. That’s into hyperpolyglot territory. And that’s not counting the extinct ones that you know.’

‘How do you even know this?’ Ross asked. ‘I have been very careful.’

‘Not careful enough.’ Mary said. ‘You also possess a perfect photographic memory. That is unheard of. People often misconstrue the term but in your case it’s correct. How you have been able to keep it from the MOD all this time?’

Ross stared at her, realising that he was completely exposed here. He reached for the decanter and poured himself a stiff drink, emptying half the glass before he took a breath.

‘I downplay.’ He sat back and looked at her. ‘I give them just enough information, but nothing like what I know.’ He studied the cut patterns on the glass in his hand. ‘I didn’t want to know what they could do to me if they found out. I have made many people disappear who were perfectly normal. Imagine what would have become of me if they knew…’ He trailed off.

‘That they had the perfect weapon in their hands?’ Mary nodded. ‘That I understand.’

‘So that’s why they are interested in me.’ Ross was now realising he was probably going to be in more trouble than he’d bargained for.

‘No, that’s why I am interested in you.’ Mary replied. ‘The Ministry and MI6 know nothing about this. As far as they are concerned, this meeting isn’t even on their radar. Anthony will deny my existence to anyone who asks and the people above him know better than to try and interfere with my plans.’ She smiled at him. ‘You asked me who I am. I am the head of an organisation that specialises in managing the kind of creature that attacked you and I am in the market for linguist who knows his way around the business end of a weapon and who really should have predicted himself into a very large lottery win and spent his days in peace and quiet instead of going into the most dangerous occupation in the world.’ She moved to the edge of her seat. ‘I can offer you a job doing extraordinary work that will make covert operations seem like child’s play.’

‘And what will I have to give you in return?’ Ross asked.

‘You’ll be committed to a greater cause than yourself.’ Mary said. ‘This job is dangerous and you’ll be asked to put yourself in the line of fire again and again. There will be times when you’ll have to trust those you shouldn’t and work with people you despise. You will never be able to go home again and you’ll never be able to talk about what you do.’

‘Sounds like my last job.’ Ross snorted.

‘True.’ Mary’s smile was wry. ‘But I pay a lot more and my accommodations are far better.’ She got up. ‘You have twenty-four hours to decide. If you are going to take me up on my offer, all you need to do is be waiting outside your flat with what you intend to bring with you.’ She nodded to him. ‘Good day, Captain.’

Ross watched her go, and then sat back and drained his glass. He couldn’t believe what had just happened to him.

‘Bloody hell.’ he muttered and then jumped as his phone buzzed. He read the message.

_I should also mention that we have an awful lot of fun. MR._

Ross saved the number, shoved the phone back in his pocket and poured himself another drink.


	2. Dwight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ross makes a decision and meets a colleague.

The next morning Ross was torn. He stood and contemplated his life while he drank coffee and stood at Sid’s kitchen window, looking out into the rain. He sipped and thought about the conversation he’d had the day before. Truth be told, he’d thought of little else since then.  
He’d made some discreet enquiries, but they had all been met with incomprehension. Ross had been bright enough not to mention any names and he’d been careful with the information he’d given out so no-one had connected the dots, but he’d still drawn a blank. He’d tried the darknet as well, using his limited IT skills to try and track something down but it was the same.

His phone rang and he dug it out from his pocket and checked the number, then answered it.

‘Hi Vee.’ He smiled at the sound of his cousin’s voice.

‘What’s this about a job?’ Verity asked and he grinned. She was never one to beat around the bush. He’d sent her the message late the night before after mulling things over with curry and four bottles of Cobra.

‘Yeah.’ He moved to the table and sat down, grabbing one of his Jaffa cakes and dunking it.

‘What kind of job is it exactly?’ Verity asked and he bit into the soggy biscuit.

‘The kind I can’t talk about.’ he said with his mouth full and she snorted.

‘I hope you’re not even thinking about going back to work for them.’ She sounded derisive and Ross knew she was full of righteous indignation on his behalf. He hadn’t told her the particulars of his discharge, and she hadn’t pressed him, had never pressed him. She’d only ever been there for him, given him that stoic support of hers when he needed it – his feisty cousin that he loved more than anyone living or dead.

He’d needed her when he’d come home to Nampara six months before and discovered his fiancée was fucking his cousin. That hadn’t gone down particularly well and Elizabeth had thrown his ring back at him and moved in with Francis. He had heard only a couple of weeks before that they were now engaged. Verity still wasn’t speaking to her brother and Ross knew that had hurt Francis deeply, but the simple fact was that he and Verity had always been closer. She was listed as his next of kin and everything he owned in the world would go to her if he died.

‘It’s not them.’ he said and she sighed.

‘But it’s someone like them?’ She sounded unhappy and it tore at him.

‘To be honest, I don’t really know.’ Ross said and reached for another biscuit. ‘But I have to say that I’m considering it.’ The moment he said the words, he knew he was lying. He had already decided, long into the night when he’d sat and stared at the loaded Sig on the coffee table in front of him. He did that every night, trying not to sleep because when he did all he could do was feel flame and breathe in smoke as clawed hands reached for him and ripped him to pieces.

If what Mary Read was offering was a way out of the living hell he was currently trapped in, Ross was going to give it a try. Besides, it couldn’t be worse than running away from his new life because every day brought him that little bit closer to picking up the pistol and just ending it all.

‘Oh Ross.’ Verity’s voice held a trace of that same sardonic humour he used as his own defence mechanism. ‘Don’t talk bollocks. You’re going to take it, aren’t you?’

Ross smiled. Verity was wasted on environmental law. She would have made a fine interrogator.

‘I need to.’ he replied. ‘I need something and I can’t go back to being part of that fucking system.’

‘I know.’ Verity sounded like she was walking around and Ross knew she was pacing. ‘I worry about you.’

‘Look, I don’t know exactly what the communication will be like.’ He tapped his fingers on the table. ‘You may not hear from me for a while.’

‘What else is new?’ Verity said. ‘Just be careful.’

‘I will.’ He closed his eyes for a second. ‘I love you, Vee.’

‘I love you too, Ross.’ Her voice was soft. ‘Let me know when you can.’

‘I will.’ Ross smiled again, hearing his child-self whining the same words at her so many years ago before he went and did something stupid that she’d warned him against. He waited for her to hang up first and then sat, his head in his hands and pondered what he was doing once again.

The truth was he missed it more than he could bear. He missed the edge, the feeling of adrenaline surging through his veins. Civilian life was killing him slowly and painfully and he would do anything to make it go away, even jumping head first into something that was the craziest scenario he’d ever come across.

Everything in his rational mind was screaming at him that this wasn’t, couldn’t be real. Everything in his heart and soul knew it had to be. There was no other explanation for what had happened to him, unless he faced the possibility that it had in fact been him who’d snapped down in those tunnels and killed his own men which was the unspoken suspicion he knew his superiors had harboured. They had never recovered his team and they had clearly doubted his version of events.

He huffed out a deep breath and got up, taking his empty cup to the sink and washing it before he went back to the bedroom he was occupying. Sid was on deployment somewhere in Africa and wouldn’t be back for a few months.

Ross started with the wardrobe, packing his clothing into his duffle bag. He had few civilian clothes, mostly jeans and t-shirts and hoodies. The suit was the only really good thing he owned and it went into its carrier. He packed everything with a methodical neatness, ship shape and Bristol fashion. The handgun and his combat knife went into the bag as well, secreted between the layers of clothing along with the spare magazines and ammunition. The pistol was his own weapon, smuggled out of the barracks when he’d left and missing any identifying marks. He was done in an hour, everything he owned in the duffle and a battered carry-on he’d picked up at a charity shop down the road. At ten to twelve he shrugged into his pea coat and made his way downstairs, posting the spare keys through Sid’s letter box. It was still raining and Ross pulled his beanie over his dark hair, now a little longer than it should have been. He stood under the porch of the building and looked down the street for any sign of the transportation Mary had said would be coming for him.

He’d been expecting another car so when a battered looking black van pulled up, Ross gave it a cursory glance and assessed it quickly as no threat and then went back to waiting. He watched out the corner of his eye though as the driver got out and walked around the side. He was about the same age and dressed in jeans and boots, but wearing only a light jacket in spite of the cold. He came towards Ross, smiling in a familiar way and Ross frowned.

‘You Ross Poldark, mate?’ the man asked and he was immediately wary.

‘Who wants to know?’ he asked. The man held out a hand, bright blue eyes friendly.

‘Dwight Enys.’ His handshake was firm. ‘Mary sent me to come collect you. She’s been called away or she’d have come herself.’ He gave Ross a speculative look. ‘Jesus, you’re so career I can practically smell the boot polish.’

Ross noticed that it seemed to be more than a figure of speech. Dwight’s nose actually was twitching very slightly.

‘Sorry.’ He took a step back. ‘Who the fuck are you?’

‘I told you already.’ Dwight grinned and Ross noticed that his teeth were very white and very shiny. ‘I’m the Sanctuary’s doctor.’ He dug in his pocket and took out a wallet, brandishing a driver’s license at him. ‘Christ, Mary said you were suspicious and she was right.’

‘I’m not suspicious.’ Ross immediately refuted, a little on the back foot at Dwight’s good humoured remark.

‘Of course, you are.’ Dwight laughed. ‘I can smell it all over you.’ He reached for the carry on. ‘Don’t worry, you’re right to be. This is not anything like you’ll be expecting, regardless of what Mary’s told you.’ He started walking to the van. ‘Come on. This weather is shit and we’ve got chocolate mini rolls back at the house.’

Ross stared at him. This was all so reckless, just throwing himself in with people he didn’t know from Adam. But then he decided that the chocolate mini rolls were worth it and followed. He went to the passenger side and opened it, getting in and heaving his bag on his lap. He noticed that the back was empty, but that there were what looked like fittings that could be used to hold crates in place. His suitcase was now in the back and he debated and then chucked his duffle in after it and did up his seatbelt. When he was done he turned back and found himself once again on the receiving end of that slightly alarming smile, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up ever so slightly.

‘Right, before we even think about going anywhere, I need to know.’ He was stern, meaning business, and it threw him when Dwight chortled.

‘Are you sure?’ he asked. ‘Once you know you can’t un-know.’

‘I’m sure.’ Ross knew there was something very off about him, could feel it. Now in the confines of the van, he realised that Dwight didn’t smell right either. He smelt like an animal, a deep musky odour that was far from unpleasant but more suited to being out in the forest than in a van.

‘Fine.’ Dwight said, and then his blue eyes flashed to amber and there was a definite glimpse of fang as he grinned. It was enough to completely scare the life out of Ross and make himself flatten against the door.

‘Jesus fucking Christ!’ His pulse rate had just rocketed. Dwight shifted back and snickered.

‘Calm down, Captain.’ He chuckled. ‘I only eat people on a full moon.’ He waited for the look of horror to cross Ross’ face and burst out laughing. ‘Relax. I’m a sorry excuse for a werewolf. I’m more likely to make you throw a frisbee for me than eat you.’

‘Fuck.’ Ross was now staring openly at him. ‘This is going to take some serious getting used to.’

‘Mary told you we deal in freaky shit though.’ Dwight said. ‘Monsters are only one of the things we get sorted.’ He started the van and Ross noticed he hadn’t bothered to do up his seat belt.  
He pulled out into traffic and started driving. Ross watched him, wondering if he should ask questions.

‘Ask.’ Dwight seemed to have read his mind.

‘How?’ Ross asked, still tensed up and ready to throw himself out the van at a moment’s notice if he didn’t like the answer.

‘Hiking in Scotland of all fucking things.’ Dwight laughed. ‘It was my last year of uni and my girlfriend thought it would be a good idea. Three nights in, something ripped our tent open, ate her and left me for dead. I woke up in hospital a week later. The next full moon I turned into something that managed to kill almost an entire flock of sheep. Thankfully, Mary turned up three days later with Demelza and they convinced me to come and work for them. If this had happened in the States, I could have joined a local pack and carried on, but there aren’t any left in the UK. The one that bit me got shot by farmers three days later.’ He shrugged. ‘Shit happens.’

‘That’s some pretty fucked up shit.’ Ross replied. ‘Christ.’

‘Not as bad as getting attacked by an iftar.’ Dwight sounded awed. ‘Jesus, I would have shit myself.’

‘I nearly did.’ Ross admitted. ‘I have never been so fucking scared in my life.’ Then he stopped. ‘Who’s Demelza?’

‘You’ll find out soon enough.’ Dwight replied. 

The drive took them over Vauxhall Bridge and along the river. Ross kept careful track of where they were going, until Dwight slowed the van and turned into an alley between two warehouses. There was pair of garage doors at the end and as they approached they seemed to open of their own accord.

Dwight drove in and then stopped.

‘This is us.’ he said to Ross.

‘It’s hardly prepossessing.’ Ross remarked and Dwight nodded.

‘It’s not supposed to be.’ He gave Ross an arch look. ‘Surely you know the value of not looking like what you’re supposed to be.’ He nodded in front of them. ‘Watch.

Ross did, amazed as the back wall suddenly split to reveal a ramp leading down. He drove forward and they descended into a garage space below. Dwight drove into a space and parked. There was a number of other vehicles, and Ross clocked a Land Rover, two more vans, a Bentley and what looked suspiciously like a Maserati at the far end.

‘That’s Demelza’s.’ Dwight explained.

‘Nice.’ Ross opened his door. He got out and then opened the back door to retrieve his things. ‘So where the hell am I?’

‘South Bank.’ Dwight grinned and Ross snorted at him.

‘I know that.’ He looked round him. ‘This is insane.’

‘Come on.’ Dwight was next to him and he took the carry on again. ‘Mary asked me to get you settled in.’

‘Where did she go?’ Ross asked and followed him, their footsteps echoing around the garage.

‘Hong Kong.’ Dwight replied. ‘She’ll probably be a few days. That’s good though, it’ll let you have a chance to get your bearings before you get thrown in the deep end.’

They got to a door and Dwight placed his hand on what looked like an infra-red panel. The light changed to green and the door clicked open and he ushered Ross inside. There was a flight of stairs, industrial looking in steel and concrete and they went up the three flights to another door. This time Dwight took what looked like a security tag from around his neck and buzzed them in.

‘Not the most impressive way to come in.’ he remarked. ‘But this is where you’re going to get the best idea of what you’ve let yourself in for.’

Then he opened the door and Ross’ mouth fell open.

The space was too big. There was no way he could reconcile the warehouse they had driven into and this place. It was also three storeys high and circular, the levels balconied and with everything surmounted by a magnificent skylight that was supported by iron tracery. The whole interior was crafted from stone with holding tanks set into the walls. The floor underneath was polished black marble and their boots squeaked on it as they made their way in.

Ross looked around him, his eyes wide as he took everything in.

‘Jesus.’ He breathed. ‘This is fucking insane.’

‘You said that already.’ Dwight chuckled. ‘This is the Pen. We keep the animals down here. It’s got three levels as you can see and we currently have around fifty inhabitants.’ He kept walking even as Ross ground to a halt and stared at him.

‘Animals?’ he asked. ‘What kind of animals?’

‘Yeah.’ Dwight looked back at him. ‘Cryptids.’ He frowned. ‘I thought Mary had told you that we look after those here.’

‘Not quite.’ Ross confessed. ‘She was a bit thin on the details.’

‘And you took the job without asking for any?’ Now Dwight looked very amused. ‘You’re crazier than I thought, but then you SAS blokes are, aren’t you?’

Ross considered this. He’d just taken a position without asking anything important like how much he was being paid and he’d just discovered that one of his colleagues was a werewolf, so Dwight definitely had a point.

‘It’s a fair cop.’ he said.

‘Ah, a Monty Python fan.’ Dwight observed. ‘We’re going to get on splendidly. One of our main jobs here is to safely remove cryptids from any circumstances where they may harm or have already harmed the human population. We also treat any injured cryptids that we get sent or that we capture.’

Ross gave him a half-hearted hum in response. He’d stopped listening the second he’d spotted the eerie green glow at the end and realised that the far tank was actually a massive aquarium that climbed the full three storeys.

‘Fuck me.’ he said and Dwight smiled.

‘Cool, isn’t it?’ he asked. ‘Mary had it put in four years ago when Selina came to live here.’

‘Selina?’ Ross was already moving over for a closer look, curiosity completely outweighing everything else. He got to the glass and looked inside. It was enormous, with a massive rock formation at the back. Then he saw what was swimming towards him and nearly fell over from shock.

The mermaid got to within a few feet of the glass and tilted her head as she came to a stop, floating in the water in front of him. She was nothing like Ross thought a mermaid would look like, her skin an almost iridescent green and her tail silver. She had no hair, only a crested frill that ran along the top of her head, incredibly delicate and wafting in the water currents.

‘And that’s Selina.’ Dwight said, coming to stand next to him. Then he signed to the mermaid and she responded by signing back. ‘I’ve just introduced you. Selina says she hopes you’ll be very happy here.’

Ross raised his eyebrows.

‘How do I say thank you?’ he asked and Dwight demonstrated. Ross repeated the gesture and Selina nodded and then signed to Dwight again, who smiled.

‘She’s hungry.’ he explained. ‘She wants to know when Ben’s coming.’

Ross was about to ask as to who Ben was when the sound of a door caught his attention. He heard whistling and soon enough a dark-haired man appeared, wheeling a stainless steel trolley in front of him that was heaped with a very unusual assortment of food. Ross looked him up and down and was impressed. He was used to men who could handle themselves and had tangled with some big bastards in his time, but this man was massive. He wasn’t just tall, although he seemed to easily top six-four. He was also built like an oak tree, biceps bulging in a grey t-shirt and his thighs doing the same in a pair of well-worn jeans. Even his ears were comically big and when he smiled it was crooked and strangely endearing.

‘Hey.’ His drawl was unmistakeably American. ‘This the new guy?’

‘Yeah.’ Dwight replied. ‘Ross Poldark, this is Ben Gunn. He’s our animal wrangler and vet.’

‘That must be very interesting.’ Ross said, noting how his hand disappeared inside Ben’s huge paw. In spite of that, Ben’s every mannerism seemed gentle, like he was well aware of his bulk and determined not to hurt anyone accidentally.

‘It is.’ Ben smiled.

‘He’s got a knack for it.’ Dwight winked at Ben. ‘Ross is a normal, Ben. You have to explain.’

‘Seriously?’ Ben frowned. ‘Mary said you were…’ He seemed to struggle for a word. ‘Gifted.’

‘Not like him.’ Ross nodded at Dwight. ‘At least, not to my knowledge.’ Then he realised what they were alluding to. ‘You too?’

‘One eighth yeti.’ Ben proclaimed proudly. ‘It’s why I’m so damn big.’

‘And a vegetarian.’ Dwight chuckled.

They were interrupted by a pointed tapping at the window and turned to see Selina floating by the glass, an annoyed look on her face as she signed at Ben.

‘Of course, Your Highness.’ He moved to the trolley. ‘I better get her food before she starts yelling.’

‘She can speak?’ Ross was confused.

‘Not like us.’ Ben replied. ‘She uses a language very similar to dolphins. Unfortunately none of us can understand so we taught her to sign and that works.’ He waved at them. ‘I’ll catch you later.’ 

He headed for an alcove just past Selina’s tan and disappeared inside. A few moment later there was a flash of silver as several fish were emptied into the tank from a hole in the side and Selina took off in hot pursuit.

‘Come on.’ Dwight said. ‘We’ll go up and show you where your room is and then you can unpack.’ He looked at the carry-on he had and then Ross’ duffle. ‘I was meaning to ask when the rest of your things will get here.’

‘This is pretty much it.’ Ross admitted. ‘I travel light.’ He shrugged at Dwight’s puzzled look. ‘Occupational hazard.’

The way out of the Pen was through the same door Ben had entered and took them into a corridor that was more like the wing of a cutting edge hospital facility. Ross saw a laboratory on his left and what looked like a surgery and an examination room on his right. At the end of it all was an old cage lift, completely out of place compared with the rest of it.

‘This takes us up into the main building.’ Dwight explained as pulled back the door for Ross to get in, stepping in after him and throwing the lever. ‘There are another three levels above us. The main building houses the living quarters, our HQ and a couple of other facilities. The west wing is where the archives and library are.’ He grinned. ‘It’s a big place. You’ll need a while till you can find your way around, but Demelza will give you the grand tour when she does your induction.’

‘You still haven’t told me who she is.’ Ross pointed out.

‘She’s Mary’s daughter.’ Dwight replied. ‘And her second in command. She’s also pyrokinetic so don’t piss her off or you’ll end up with singed eyebrows.’ He roared with laughter at the look on Ross’ face.

‘Christ.’ Ross muttered. ‘Okay who else is there?’

‘Just us.’ Dwight said. ‘We run this place together. Mary’s obviously in charge, but we all have pretty important roles.’

‘She said she needed a linguist.’ Ross felt the lift shudder as it came to a stop and watched Dwight pull the gate back again.

‘She does.’ he agreed. ‘The last one quit after he was almost eaten by a manticore.’ He stepped out and left Ross standing in the lift.

‘Excuse me?’ He stared at Dwight in disbelief. ‘Did you just say eaten?’


	3. Job Description

Mary sat at the table in the restaurant and enjoyed her dim sum. She’d had an affinity for the place since she’d first visited in the late 1800s and it was still under her skin even after all the years that had passed.

The man opposite her was handsome, greying at the temples. He smiled at her and nodded at her plate.

‘More?’ he asked in Cantonese and she answered in the same vein.

‘Please.’ She watched him raise an eyebrow at the waiter and he disappeared into the kitchen. It was heading into the early hours of the morning, but this restaurant catered for the more supernatural members of society and so it was open all hours. Not everything that came out of their kitchen was for human consumption either.

‘You have recruited a new agent.’ Shuo said and drank his tea.

‘I have.’ she replied. ‘He’s an extraordinary man.’

‘A man?’ Shuo frowned. ‘Why?’

‘Why a man or why is he extraordinary?’ Mary asked with a smile.

‘It’s not like you to trust humans.’ Shuo remarked.

‘This one is different.’ Mary replied. ‘For one, I am not completely convinced that he is human.’

‘Interesting.’ Shuo nodded as the waiter put down a stack of steamers. ‘What is he then?’

‘I’m not sure.’ Mary replied. ‘He is ex-SAS though and I think considering the trouble we’ve been having with the Cabal that is probably not a bad person to have running around the place.’ She lifted the cover and helped herself to more dumplings. ‘He’s also a remarkable linguist. He’s not as proficient as Eric was, but then he also doesn’t look the type to cut and run at the first sign of big teeth.’

‘That is always good.’ Shuo chuckled. ‘I look forward to meeting him when next I come to London.’

‘Good.’ Mary’s face grew serious. ‘Now tell me about what’s been happening here.’

********

The building was probably the most magnificent thing Ross had ever stepped foot in. The Neo-Gothic architecture was extraordinarily detailed and Ross couldn’t help but admire it as they walked along a long corridor and came into what appeared to be a living space. It was wood panelled, portraits on the walls reminding him of Nampara. A woman got up from the leather sofa in front of them and came forward. Ross regarded her, taking in her alabaster skin and brilliant copper hair. She stopped and held out a hand.

‘Ross.’ She smiled at him. ‘I’m Demelza Carne.’ Her entire attitude screamed self-assurance and her handshake was brisk. ‘It’s nice to meet you. Welcome to the Sanctuary.’

‘Thank you.’ Ross relied and she gestured to the sofa opposite her.

‘Thank you, Dwight.’ she said. ‘I’ll take it from here.’

‘No problem.’ Dwight gave Ross a grin. ‘I’ll come find you later.’

They watched him leave and then sat down. 

‘Looks like you’ve made a friend.’ Demelza remarked and Ross shrugged.

‘He seems nice.’ he said.

‘He is.’ Demelza agreed. ‘He was so terrified when we first found him. It took him a while to adapt to the Sanctuary, but now he’s someone I trust with my life.’ She looked at him, blue eyes thoughtful. ‘I certainly hope you’ll come to feel the same about all of us.’

‘That’s very kind of you to say.’ Ross was now a little concerned, especially after the being eaten comment. ‘I’m starting to think your mother was right when she said that this job is just like my last one.’

‘With one extremely important difference.’ Demelza corrected. ‘The kinds of creatures you’ll encounter here are far more dangerous than anything you ever faced off against in the SAS.’

Ross thought back to claws and fire.

‘That I believe.’ He sighed. ‘Mary said you needed a linguist?’

‘Not just a linguist.’ Demelza replied. ‘We need a soldier. Someone who is trained in protection and defence. Someone who knows weapons and how to use them. Someone to be my second and who’ll have my back as the Americans say.’ She considered him. ‘Are you that person, Ross?’

‘Mary seems to think so.’ Ross replied. ‘What do you mean, your second?’

‘I am responsible for the safety and security of the Sanctuary.’ Demelza explained. ‘I am also the person that catches the monsters and I need someone to help me.’

‘So long as I don’t get eaten.’ Ross meant it as a joke but the sly smile on Demelza’s face told him otherwise. 

‘I really can’t guarantee that.’ she said. ‘But I can offer you some tea.’

‘Well, that sorts everything then.’ Ross found himself amused in spite of the dire warning. He looked around. ‘Do you want me to call Dwight?’

‘No need.’ Demelza replied. ‘Cain will be here in a moment.’

‘Cain?’ Ross frowned and then turned when he heard the sound of someone coming in and his jaw dropped at the sight of the creature carrying a silver tray on which was a tea service. He came over and placed it on the table and Ross caught a glimpse of black eyes and teeth that were far too sharp to be human.

‘This is Ross.’ Demelza introduced him.

Cain nodded and then ambled off and Ross was left speechless for the fifth time that day.

‘That was interesting.’ He turned back as Demelza poured out the tea.

‘Oh yes.’ she replied. ‘Cain’s been part of the Sanctuary for a very long time and will be here long after you and I are gone.’

‘What is he?’ Ross asked.

‘A golem.’ She handed him a cup. ‘He serves us, keeps the Sanctuary running and makes sure we’re all fed and looked after. Anything you require can be told to him and he’ll make sure you have it.’ She sipped and then put her cup down. ‘Now for the logistics as it were. I have your contract of employment here, along with your non-disclosure agreement. You will no longer be needing anything with regards to your financial affairs or medical care, both of which will be handled by the Sanctuary. We will need one next of kin that your body can be released to in the event of your death, although we reserve the right to have you cremated should you be killed in any circumstances that would make the authorities suspicious. You will be issued with a weapon, a vehicle, identification and the license to operate within the United Kingdom, Her territories and the Commonwealth. When you see fit to retire, it will be to a location of your choosing and your wellbeing shall continue to be the responsibility of the Sanctuary. You may keep a total of two pets, subject to approval, and any other housekeeping requirements can be passed to Cain as I mentioned before including dietary requirements and preferences. Any questions?’

‘Yes.’ Ross said, processing everything quickly as he’d learned to do. ‘How many of us are there?’

‘Here, there are the four you have seen already, including myself.’ Demelza replied. ‘Mary is the head of this particular facility, but there is a total of seventeen other Sanctuaries around the world that you will be working with. I assume travel is not a problem.’

‘No.’ Ross was starting to feel interested, his adventurous nature starting to sniff the air as it always did when it knew a mission was imminent.

‘Good.’ Demelza picked up her cup. ‘Dwight will be giving you the necessary vaccinations tomorrow and you’ll have a few days to acclimatise. Some people have a rather interesting reaction to them.’

‘I have all my shots.’ Ross stated. ‘It’s normal procedure for the SAS.’

‘I’m not talking about human vaccinations.’ Demelza grinned over her tea cup. ‘You’re going to need a few more than those, I’m afraid. Now do you have a preference for what you’d like to drive?’

‘Landy’s fine.’ Ross replied. ‘It’s what I’m used to.’

‘Like Dwight.’ Demelza smiled. ‘That will be easy enough.’

‘He said the Maserati is yours.’ Ross was now giving her a more thorough inspection. Like her mother the previous day, Demelza’s clothing was all immaculate, expensive and stylish. He also detected an element of practicality in the leather lace up boots and mannish shirt. 

‘I like fast cars.’ Demelza replied, a smile playing about her mouth. ‘Weapons?’

‘I have my own.’ Ross said.

‘In that case you’ll need to hand your handgun over to me for retrofitting and ammunition.’ Demelza said. ‘But that should not be too much of a problem. Now, some rules. Obviously there’s the nondisclosure which you’ll be familiar with, but this house requires some special attention. For the first few months, you are not allowed in the Pen unless unaccompanied. This is for your safety until you’ve become familiar with the inhabitants.’

‘You won’t get any argument from me.’ Ross smiled.

‘Obviously we do not have set working hours.’ Demelza added. ‘So you will often be working unsociable hours or travelling at a moment’s notice.’

‘Again, not a problem.’ Ross could see why Mary had thought he would be a good fit.

‘Excellent.’ Demelza seemed pleased. ‘There are also certain areas of the Sanctuary that are out of bounds. I will have to ask you to respect this.’

‘Done.’ Ross leaned back in his seat. ‘So far nothing is putting me off. Except maybe the manticore thing.’

‘They’re actually quite docile if you know how to handle them correctly.’ Demelza laughed. She gestured to the leather document holder lying on the table in front of her. ‘That is your paperwork. Please sign it and return it to me tomorrow. Make sure you read the fine print.’

They finished their tea as Demelza told Ross about the mission of the Sanctuary and then invited him to take a walk around. Ross noticed that his bag and carry on had disappeared and looked at her.

‘Cain.’ She took his arm. ‘Shall we?’ 

They started on the ground floor with a tour of the main rooms. There was a kitchen, TV lounge, the living room they had been in, a morning room and grand dining room. Each one had the same stately proportions, except for the TV room which was lined with squashy sofas and boasted a massive TV screen mounted on the wall. 

‘All the common rooms are at your disposal.’ Demelza said. ‘Downstairs we have the basement where the fitness suite and laundry facilities are. Cain usually sees to laundry, but obviously you are welcome to use them whenever you need to.’ She led him back to the corridor and took him down to a large hall with four staircases leading off of it in opposite directions, reminding Ross a little of the Escher engraving.

‘The ready room and workshops are up there, along with our offices.’ She gestured to the next one. ‘That leads to the aviary and the West turret. This one goes to the sleeping quarters.’

‘And that one?’ Ross nodded at the fourth.

‘The library and archive.’ Demelza replied. ‘For the time being, I suggest only going there during the day. It’s easy to get lost inside it if you are new.’

She led him up the one that went to the accommodation and they found themselves in another long corridor lined with doors at intervals. Ross followed her to the third one down on the left and she produced a key from her pocket and unlocked the door, then handed it to him.

‘Your room is obviously yours to do what you wish with.’ she explained.’ Please feel free to decorate it to your personal tastes.’

Ross stepped into a sitting room. Like the one downstairs, it was wood panelled and had a fireplace at one end. The sofa was also leather, but far more worn and comfortable than those downstairs and sporting several cushions. There was a pair of empty bookshelves flanking the fireplaces and a desk under the large sash window to the side. The wall paper was forest green and the floorboards underfoot creaked in a cheerful sounding manner.

‘You have a sitting room, bedroom and bathroom.’ Demelza said. ‘Cain will take care of cleaning and bed linen.’

‘Sounds like a hotel.’ Ross was looking around him. He moved through to the bedroom, which was equally spacious and furnished with a four poster bed, also dressed in green. ‘This is lovely.’

‘I’ll leave you to make yourself at home.’ Demelza smiled. She put the document holder on the desk as she went and Ross heard the door close as he went in to explore. The bathroom was white, gleaming subway tiles and chrome fixtures, and there was a walk-in wardrobe where he discovered that all his clothes were hung up, including his suit and now defunct dress uniform.

He came back and saw that Cain had also left his .45 on the bedside table. Ross chuckled and picked it up and weighed it in his hands. He made a mental note to give it to Demelza, then went back into the sitting room. This was far more luxurious than any accommodations he’d ever had, even at home, and the blandness of the décor soothed him. 

He wouldn’t be changing anything anytime soon.

********

Demelza was coming down the stairs as Dwight was coming into the hall. She joined him and together they went up the other side and came out at the landing that led to the Sanctuary’s main base of operations. Here there was a central office with their communication hub and individual workstations, their individual offices, store rooms, armoury and Mary’s personal study. There was also an access stair that led to an escape tunnel with one exit coming out in the garage and another that ran the entire way under the Thames and came out on the other side.

They got into the main office and Dwight went to get them another cup of tea while Demelza got a packet of biscuits from her desk drawer. They sat down and the screen flickered on to show Mary on the other side.

‘Good afternoon.’ She sounded tired. ‘I trust our new guest has arrived.’

‘He has.’ Demelza smiled her thanks as Dwight handed over her mug. ‘He seems very competent and very nice.’

‘You read his file?’ Mary asked and Demelza nodded. ‘It speaks for itself, really.’

‘I think he’s going to fit in well.’ Dwight observed. ‘He smells like a good guy.’

‘He’s also met Ben and Cain and he’s still not headed for the hills.’ Demelza added. ‘But we’ll give him a week’s trial, see how he goes.’

‘Sounds fine.’ Mary said and then frowned. ‘Have you told Jim about him?’

‘He hasn’t woken up yet.’ Demelza replied. ‘I’ll go see him he does.’

‘Ross will need the same clearance we have.’ Mary instructed. ‘Make sure Jim knows and get him to set Ross up with a login and email account.’’

‘I told him to stay out of the library and archive at night.’ Demelza told her. ‘Just until Jim’s used to his smell and knows that he’s not a midnight snack.’

‘Excellent idea.’ Mary laughed. ‘Although it will be interesting to see what he makes of him. You know how funny Jim can be around humans.’

***********

Ross spent the rest of the afternoon going through the paperwork Demelza had left him. He took his time, reading and rereading everything thoroughly. It was fairly standard in terms of the language used but when he got to the page detailing his pay and benefits, Ross had had to look at the number several times before he believed it. He’d been well paid as an officer in the SAS, but this far outstripped that. 

The non-disclosure had been iron clad, as he’d expected, and the passport he’d been issued seemed no different to the one he already owned. Ross inspected it closely, but it all looked perfectly above board. In addition there was a security pass and driver’s license. Ross wondered briefly where they had gotten the pictures from, but then reasoned that they no doubt had access to his military records at the MOD.

He was finally satisfied and signed the documents without stopping to worry about what he was doing. As he was doing so, there was a knock at the door and it opened to show Dwight leaning in and grinning at him.

‘Dinner?’ he asked. ‘You’ve been closeted in here and missed lunch.’

‘Shit.’ Ross checked his watch and saw it was almost six. ‘I guess I got distracted.’ He nodded at the contract. ‘There’s a hell of a lot to get through.’7

‘Yeah.’ Dwight came in. ‘So is everything okay?’ he looked around. ‘The place is pretty impressive. I remember coming here and being blown away by it. I grew up in a semi-detached in Cheshire. This shit seemed like moving into Buckingham Palace.’

‘It is a little grand.’ Ross smiled at him. ‘This whole set-up is kind of boggling the mind, I have to say.’

‘It’s gets worse.’ Dwight laughed. ‘Or better, depending on your point of view.’

Ross laughed and got up, ticking the papers back into the holder and tucking it under one arm before he followed Dwight out the room.

They went back the way he had come with Demelza and Dwight led him to the kitchen. It was a large room, oddly homely with a scrubbed wooden table that could easily seat twelve people. Cain was at the cooker, completely silent as he worked and it was a little unnerving. Ross gave Dwight a questioning look and got a grin in reply, but no elaboration. Instead he went to the fridge and got out a couple of Tigers and handed one to Ross.

‘Welcome to Bedlam.’ he said.

‘Thanks.’ Ross clinked his bottle against Dwight’s. ‘I have to say that so far the inmates seem like a nice bunch.’

Dwight laughed.

‘Reserve judgment on that.’ he warned. ‘At least until you’ve worked your first case.’

They sat down and Cain came over with a plate for each of them and Ross saw it was shepherd’s pie, a favourite of his. He wondered if Mary’s research had turned up that particular fact as well.

Dwight noticed him frowning and then looked at Cain.

‘It’s his thing.’ he said. ‘He just knows. I assume this is something you particularly enjoy.’

‘It is.’ Ross took a forkful and sighed happily. ‘Fuck, this is good.’

‘It was lamb madras my first night.’ Dwight told him. ‘It’s Cain’s way of saying welcome.’

‘Thank you.’ Ross directed this to Cain and got a slow nod before he lumbered out of the kitchen and left them to eat.

‘You know what he is?’ Dwight asked and Ross nodded.

‘I have to admit, I don’t really understand.’ he admitted. ‘The supernatural is not really my thing.’

‘Golems are animated clay brought to life by magic. They’re mentioned in the Talmud.’ Dwight explained. ‘Cain is very old. He was made right at the beginning, when craftsmanship was as important as power. He used to have a spell inside his head that gave him his direction, if you like. That was until he was given his freedom and now he’s in charge of himself, if you like.’

‘So he’s not alive?’ Ross was confused. He was also a little surprised at himself and how easily he was slipping into the whole idea of what he’d previously thought of as myths and fairytales actually existing. But then he’d seen Dwight turn with his own eyes and witnessed a mermaid demanding her dinner, so it was fairly difficult to cling to that notion.

‘Not in the biological sense.’ Dwight replied, taking a pull from his beer. ‘But Mary thinks he has a soul. He certainly has a sense of humour, even if he can’t speak.’

‘Interesting.’ Ross remarked.

‘Oh great.’ Ben’s voice interrupted them. He was striding into the kitchen, a wide grin all over his face. ‘I love Shepherd’s pie.’

‘Did Cain make it for you too?’ Ross asked and Ben shook his head as he went to the cooker and dished up a heaped plateful. He grabbed six more beers from the fridge and brought them to the table, somehow managing to juggle everything. He placed the bottles on the table and joined them, eating with a single-mindedness that Ross appreciated.

‘Nope.’ He spoke between mouthfuls. ‘I only got to like it when I moved here. My first night he made me Buffalo Wings.’

‘How did you end up here?’ Ross said. ‘If you don’t mind me asking.’

‘I got caught by a group of assholes that specialise in exotic animal parts.’ Ben said. ‘My species is pretty much extinct, so even one as far removed genetically as me is very valuable.’

Ross stopped eating, staring at him.

‘Fuck.’ He was aghast. ‘What the hell did they want you for?’

‘Everything really.’ Ben replied. ‘Cut me up and sell me in pieces. My bones alone are worth over a million dollars.’ His smile was wry. ‘You should see how much people would be willing to pay for my cock. Apparently it’s very good for the yang.’ He winked at Dwight and they both chuckled.

‘How can you laugh about that?’ Ross was appalled. He seen plenty of brutality in his career, but this horrified him.

‘Because it’s a bunch of bull.’ Ben laughed. ‘Thankfully, Mary and Demelza were tracking this particular group and so I got a chance to show them just what happens when I’m not pumped full of tranquilisers.’

Ross looked at Dwight whose shiny white teeth were on display.

‘Ben’s strong.’ he explained. ‘Like Incredible Hulk strong.’

‘Damn straight.’ Ben chuckled. ‘Ripped those fuckers to pieces, which is most unlike me. I’m usually peaceful as fuck. Anyway, Mary and Dem brought me here. Not much call for hunting in the UK and they knew I’d be safer here than anywhere else. I got a job out of it too. I was training to be a vet before I got abducted. I finished my studies here and now this is what I do.’

‘So we’ve got a vet, a doctor and a linguist.’ Ross snorted. ‘Nice. We sound like the beginning of a bad joke.’ He gave them both a look. ‘So werewolf, part-yeti and ex-SAS. And Demelza’s what again?’

‘Pyrokinetic.’ Dwight replied. ‘So she can literally set you on fire if you piss her off.’

‘Jesus.’ Ross wasn’t sure how much more he was going to hear. 

‘So what about you, Ross?’ Ben asked. ‘Mary said you’ve got some skills yourself.’

Ross shrugged. He was so used to hiding his abilities, he didn’t really know where to start.

‘I’m trained as a linguist for the SAS.’ he replied. ‘So I’m good with languages.’

‘Yeah?’ Dwight looked interested. ‘How many do you speak?’

‘Somewhere in the region of fifty?’ Ross estimated. ‘I’ve never actually counted.’

‘Fucking hell.’ Dwight looked impressed. ‘That’s insane, mate.’

‘Yeah.’ Ben grinned. ‘I have trouble with just the one.’

‘Mary said you have a pure photographic memory too.’ Dwight ventured. ‘How does that work?’

‘I can recall pretty much everything I see in perfect detail.’ Ross replied. ‘Including text and number sequences, patterns - all that stuff.’

‘Christ,that would have been handy when I was studying.’ Dwight replied. ‘So you just remember everything just like that?’ He grinned. ‘What’s Demelza’s license plate number?’

Ross chuckled.

‘TS30 VKT.’ he said and Dwight laughed.

‘It was across the garage.’ he protested. ‘You saw it for a second.’

‘It was enough.’ Ross replied. ‘Ask me something difficult.’

‘Okay.’ Dwight considered. ‘Pi?’

‘How many places?” Ross asked.

‘How many can you do?’ Ben countered.

‘About a thousand.’ Ross said. ‘Then I just get bored, to be honest.’ He stopped eating as he realised they were now giving him looks that appeared to be those of astonishment. ‘It’s not that special. Not compared to you two.’

‘Yeah, but add it in with the other stuff you can do and that’s seriously cool.’ Dwight pointed out. ‘Can you blow shit up?’

‘I wasn’t the demolitions expert, but yeah I can blow shit up if I have to.’ Ross replied, now grinning as well in the face of their very obvious enthusiasm.

‘How about machine guns?’ Ben’s eyes were shining.

‘Lots of those.’ Ross answered. ‘Don’t you guys use weapons though?’

‘Christ no.’ Dwight laughed. ‘I wouldn’t have the first clue.’

‘I’m a lover, not a fighter.’ Ben added. ‘And if I need to take someone out, I mostly just hit them on the head and they go down.’

‘Makes sense.’ Ross laughed. ‘But Demelza does.’

‘How did you know?’ Dwight asked.

‘She has the right callouses.’ Ross explained. ‘I felt them when we shook hands. I bet the fire thing also comes in handy though.’

‘It does.’ Dwight confirmed. ‘I’ve seen her burn shit to the ground in under a minute.’

‘It’s like Game of Thrones.’ Ben laughed. ‘Pretty awesome stuff.’

‘And Mary?’ Ross asked, moving on and cataloguing everything he’d heard.

‘Electricity.’ Dwight said.

‘As in…?’ Ross was confused.

‘As in she can control it.’ Dwight replied. ‘She can manipulate it and use it, but she can’t create it. Get her to a power source though and boom.’

‘Bloody hell.’ Ross shook his head. ‘So that’s it right, as far as the people here go.’ He noticed them look at each other, and filed that away too.

‘As far as we go, yes.’ Ben said, but his dark eyes were guarded. ‘But you’re going to meet a lot of others. There are more Sanctuaries.’

‘So I heard.’ Ross was now intrigued as to what they were hiding. He sat back and pushed away his empty plate. ‘That was good. I could get used to this.’

‘You’ll have to.’ Dwight nodded at the document holder Ross had put on the table. ‘You’ve signed those.’

‘How…’ Ross gave him a quizzical look and Dwight grinned.

‘I can smell the ink.’ he said, like it as the most normal thing in the world. Ross raised his eyebrows at him and looked at Ben.

‘He can smell the ink.’ he said and Ben laughed.

‘Yes, he can.’ he replied and carried on eating.


	4. The Library

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ross settles in for his first night.

Demelza made her way down and down, deep below street level and into the tunnels that ran below the Sanctuary. Here it was cool, the air tinged with an odd smell that only certain people would recognise. It was almost like a hint of incense but she was well used to it and had been since she was small enough to toddle at her mother’s side. This particular inhabitant had been at the Sanctuary for a very long time and she had grown up with him and looked on him as a brother.

His room was down on one of the lower levels and he had free roam down here. The cool air was the perfect place for the server room that ran the Sanctuary’s network and his workspace was right next door so he could be on hand if he needed to do anything to it.

Now Demelza could see the flickering lights coming from a doorway just ahead of her and extinguished the flames that danced around her left hand that she was using to light her way. The strains of music filled the brick lined tunnel and bounced off the walls. Demelza recognised it as Camille Saint-Saëns and she smiled.

Jim was clearly playing to type this evening.

She got to the room and came in, blinking at the dazzling display of neon around and over his workstation. There was no sign of him, however, and she wondered he’d got to. There was an open packet of sour worms on the desk and half a plastic bottle of Coke Zero with the lid off next to it which meant he was definitely awake. The smell was stronger here too.

She walked through the room, sparsely furnished with only a sofa and bookshelf against the wall, a fifty inch TV screen opposite. It was currently playing what looked one of his godawful science fiction films, the volume turned down so the music could drown the whole room with its spiralling crescendos.

She got to the server room and looked in. Like the workspace, there was no illumination here apart from the flickering lights of the banks of processors, and she frowned. Then the softest movement of air alerted her and she wheeled around and there he was behind her, smiling that damnable impish grin of his with his dimples on full display.

‘Hi.’ Jim’s blue-green eyes had a strange glow in the neon light and when he smiled she got a shiver down her spine. He looked pleased with himself and she immediately knew he’d obviously fed and very recently judging by the smell of blood on his breath.

‘What have you been doing?’ She narrowed her eyes at him.

‘Nothing.’ Jim was all innocence, but she knew better.

‘Who was it?’ She was stern. Jim had a habit of sneaking out and snacking when he wasn’t supposed to. It drove Mary wild, more out of fear for his safety than out of concern for those he ate, but Demelza knew that was misguided worry. Jim was menacing at his worst and utterly terrifying at his best, in spite of the angelic face and seeming youthfulness.

He didn’t reply. Instead he walked over to the station, his bare feet not making a single sound, and sat back down. Demelza watched him drink the remaining liquid in the bottle and huffed. Getting answers out of him was impossible some days.

‘I have to tell you something.’ she said.

Jim ignored her and ate a handful of sour worms, his eyes now glued to the computer monitors in front of him. Demelza sighed and walked to the desk, leaning against it.

‘Are you even listening to me?’ she asked and Jim gave her the briefest of glances.

‘I know he’s here.’ he replied. ‘I saw him on the feed.’

‘Good.’ Demelza replied. ‘Then you know that he’s not to be touched.’

‘You act like I eat anyone that comes into the Sanctuary.’ Jim snorted.

‘You ate the plumber last time.’ Demelza pointed out.

‘He was in my tunnels.’ Jim sounded ever so stroppy. ‘That makes him fair game.’

‘Well, Mary picked him out especially, so be nice.’ Demelza admonished. ‘She’ll be seriously pissed off if you don’t.’

‘Is his room safeguarded?’ Jim asked through another mouthful of sour worms.

‘Yes.’ Demelza watched him warily.

‘Then, he’ll be fine.’ Jim’s smile was now back and the eagle-eyed would have noticed that his teeth looked a little too sharp to be human. It was not that far from Dwight’s smile but without the warmth.

A predator’s smile.

‘Well, I’ve told him to stay out of the archive and library.’ Demelza said. ‘At least until you’re used to him.’

‘Good.’ Jim looked up at her. ‘That it? I have system checks to run.’

‘Christ.’ Demelza shook her head at him. ‘You’re in a fucking grump today.’

‘Go away, Dem.’ Jim was watching the screen again. ‘I’m not in the mood for company.’

‘No shit.’ Demelza pushed herself up from the desk. ‘I’ll leave you to it.’

She looked back once at the door. Jim was completely lost in his flickering lights once more and she knew that he was no longer paying any attention to her.

**************

The evening drew in and Ross spent a couple of very pleasant hours in the more relaxed room off the kitchen watching TV and drinking more beer, followed by tea and biscuits and conversation. He listened to Dwight and Ben tell their stories, goggling at the details, and then yawned expansively as he suddenly felt sleepy.

It was wonderful. He hadn’t felt the urge to sleep for months, even before the incident in Syria. Dwight watched him and grinned, leaning over to slap him on the knee.

‘It’s a lot to take in.’ He was sympathetic. ‘You should go to bed.’

‘Yeah.’ Ross got up and stretched. He started to clear his empty bottles but Ben held up a hand.

‘We’ll do that.’ he said. ‘Dwight’s right. Go to bed. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.’

‘And I don’t want to have to come wake your arse up.’ Dwight grinned. ‘Don’t you SAS guys sleep with one eye open and a loaded weapon under your pillow?’

Ross laughed.

‘Only when we’re getting a needle shoved in our arses.’ he replied. ‘That I am not looking forward to.’

‘It’s only a couple of shots.’ Dwight laughed. ‘I promise to be gentle.’

‘Fuck.’ Ross grinned at them. ‘I’ll see you both in the morning.’

‘Sleep well.’ they chimed and he left them and went back to his room.

The passageways were blissfully quiet, and he went inside and took a long shower. He got out and dried off, that wonderful sleepiness still there, and got into bed without bothering to even put on the shorts he normally slept in. The crisp sheets were deliciously cool against his skin and before Ross even knew what was happening, he was sliding into sleep.

***********

It couldn’t last and it didn’t.

Ross woke with a start and sat up abruptly. His skin was wet with sweat and his chest heaved, the remnants of the nightmare still swirling around in his head. He ran a hand over his face, biting back the shaky feeling he always got when he dreamed of what had happened.

He lay back down, his heart still thudding in his chest, and stared at the ceiling. He’d hoped this would have passed, that he’d have his first night of real sleep in this new place but the dreams had come regardless. Now Ross knew that he was not going to go back to sleep, not this night.  
He pondered what to do and then got up. He felt irritable and unsettled and ran through his options. He didn’t have a laptop or he would have streamed something, and he didn’t feel like listening to music. He contemplated going down to the kitchen for a snack, but that didn’t sit right either.

What he really felt like was a book.

Ross was an inveterate bookworm, something that had sat at odds with his lifestyle. His kindle had gone with him everywhere but he’d left it behind accidentally when he’d exited Nampara stage left and he had asked Verity to send it to him but she had been unable to locate it.

Ross thought about what Demelza had said earlier. She had warned him to stay out of the archive and library saying that he’d get lost, but Ross had never gotten lost in his life. His memory allowed him to track his way in and out of anywhere and bring him right back to where he’d started, so if that was her only concern then it really wouldn’t be a problem.

He dressed in sweats and a vest and left the room, padding barefoot down the passageway and to the staircases, and then stood in the junction staring at the one that had been placed out of bounds. Half of him wondered if he’d trip some sort of bizarre supernatural alarm and then derided himself for being silly.

He strode purposely across to the first step and started climbing, and then stopped as his sensitive ears caught the sound of music. It sounded like someone playing the piano, and it got louder as he ascended. The stairs levelled out at the top and he found himself in another of those long corridors, this one lined with windows that let in the moonlight and illuminated his way. The floorboards underfoot made no sound here and he came to a pair of massive doors. Now the music was hitting a crescendo, a wonderful wild sound that drew him in.

The doors gave when he pushed against them, and Ross went in, catching his breath when he saw the huge room in front of him. Its soaring ceiling was painted with a mural and punctuated with skylights, the walls shelf lined and going up two stories. The sheer number of books overwhelmed him.

The music cut out even as he walked along across the stone floor and he came to a stop in a puddle of moonlight, seeing a grand piano at the end that had obviously been the source of the sound. Ross approached and when he got there, he placed a hand on the seat. It was cold, no residual heat to signal that anyone had even been there.

The small hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Ross froze, a strange feeling stealing over him that made him feel like he was definitely not alone.

‘Hello?’ His voice echoed around the empty space.

Nothing came back and Ross looked up into the darkness. He could almost hear something, but then the air shifted and he caught a tiny hint of scent, deep and spicy and gone before his brain could process whether it was real or not.

‘Who’s there?’ He held his ground.

‘So you’re him.’

The voice came from the darkness above him and Ross peered to try and catch a glimpse of the man that was speaking.

‘Who?’ he asked and there was a soft laugh.

‘Mary’s new pet.’ There was a bite to the words. ‘I hope you are less of a wanker than the last guy.’

‘Hey. I’d resign too if a manticore wanted to eat me.’ Ross turned. The voice sounded like it was moving but that was impossible. ‘And as far as I know, pet doesn’t factor into it.’

‘Just wait.’ The voice sounded amused. ‘She’ll have you hopping over jumps before you know it.’

‘I just came here for a book.’ Ross countered, holding up both hands. He turned as the laugh came again, this time from a completely different direction.

‘You read?’ The man said. ‘I didn’t know soldiers even could read.’

‘Funny.’ Ross wheeled around as the sound of laughter moved. ‘Are you always so fucking rude to visitors?’

‘Yes.’ Now there was another more suggestive undercurrent to the voice. ‘I am.’

The sound of something being put down made Ross turn again and now he saw a book lying on the piano. He stood and stared at it, then walked across and let his fingers drift over the cover.

‘Homer.’ He smiled to himself. ‘Good choice.’

‘I have to warn you it’s in the original Greek.’ The voice said.

‘I can read that.’ Ross picked up the book and tucked it under an arm. ‘Thank you for the recommendation.’

He waited for a reply but now the silence held and the odd feeling of being watched was gone. He sighed and then left the way he’d come. 

*******

Ross spent the rest of the night reading until the sun was starting to come up and then got up once more, his head now foggy with a long dead language and his body aching with fatigue.   
He dressed in sweats, t-shirt and his trainers, then went out of the room into the corridor. He looked up and down but heard and saw nothing. 

The walk to the kitchen took him past windows that looked out onto a magnificent garden and the facade of the house. There was a fountain in the middle of an expanse of grass. Ross gave it a thoughtful look but saw that it wasn’t really big enough for his purposes if he wanted to go running.

He walked the ground floor thoroughly. The door that led down to the pen was mirrored on the other side of the corridor by another that he discovered led down into the basement complex that housed more storage rooms and utility room. He kept looking and came into the aforementioned fitness room that was glassed on one side to reveal a pool just beyond. A door at the far side opened up onto a dojo and Ross started to wonder about who might use that. 

He spent two hours working out before heading back upstairs, now sweaty and feeling better in spite of his sleep deprivation. Cain was in the kitchen when he came in for water and he inclined his head to Ross and gestured for him to sit. Ross took a bottle from the fridge and cracked it, downing half before he went to the table. Cain brought over a cup of coffee and placed it in front of him, staring at him intently with those ominous black eyes.

‘Thank you.’ Ross said, being as polite as possible. He was still unsure of how to proceed as far as Cain was concerned. Cain continued to look at him and then nodded brusquely at the mug. Ross lifted it to take a sip and was amazed at how good it was. He liked his coffee army style, black and strong enough to melt a spoon and with enough sugar to give him instantaneous cavities. He looked up and raised the mug a little. 

‘It’s excellent.’ he said. ‘How did you know?’

Cain’s face remained impassive, but Ross could have sworn there was a twinkle in the black eyes. He raised a finger to his lips and walked back to the stove and Ross was left with the realisation that even if he was modelled clay animated by magic, Cain clearly had a sense of humour and Dwight had said. 

He sat and watched as the golem moved around the kitchen and then decided that if he was going to be witness to Cain making breakfast he might as well keep him company and provide some conversation. 

‘This place is amazing.’ He sipped. ‘It’s very deceptive though.’

Cain nodded and started cracking eggs into a bowl. Ross tried a different tack.

‘How long have you been here?’ he asked. ‘Demelza said it’s been very long.’

Cain stopped and tilted his head as he seemed to be considering. Then he held up a hand, fingers spread. 

‘Fifty years?’ Ross ventured and he shook his head. ‘Five hundred?’

This got him a nod and he stared in amazement at the golem. 

‘Like part of the furniture.’ Dwight’s voice came from the doorway. He was in jeans and a maroon hoodie, his blue eyes bright. ‘Feeling ready for your check up, Captain Poldark?’

‘Don’t bloody remind me.’ Ross grumbled. Dwight came to join him and this time the beverage was a cup of tea in a delicate blue and white china teacup. 

‘How does he know?’ Ross asked, mystified as he hadn’t heard the kettle boiling or seen Cain take out the cup.

‘Magic.’ Dwight said, sipping and letting out a pleased sigh. ‘Are there any biscuits?’

Cain threw him what was definitely a disapproving look and Dwight chuckled.

‘He disapproves of my eating too many and before breakfast.’ he explained. ‘I think he thinks they’ll rot my teeth.’ This was accompanied by a flash of the teeth in question. ‘Did you sleep well?’

‘No.’ Ross sighed and sat back. ‘I was up around one and I haven’t been able to get back to it.’ 

Now Dwight looked concerned. He leaned forward and Ross saw that he had what could only be described as what was obviously his doctor’s face on.

‘Does that happen often?’ he asked and Ross shrugged.

‘I’m a light sleeper, and we get by on less if we need to.’ he explained, a little defensive. ‘It’s just the way things are. You get used to being on alert all the time.’

‘That must be exhausting.’ The genuine sympathy on Dwight’s face made Ross relax a little, his guard slipping just a bit.

‘It is.’ he admitted. ‘I can’t remember the last time I got a proper night’s sleep.’ He grinned. ‘Are you taking notes?’

‘Well, I am officially your doctor now.’ Dwight pointed out. ‘Your case file didn’t say anything about insomnia though.’

‘That’s because I didn’t tell them.’ Ross replied. ‘If they catch wind of something like that, they pull you off active duty or they ignore it. It’s not worth fucking up your assessment over. I certainly wouldn’t be the first one either.’

‘It’s not something you should ignore though.’ Dwight admonished him a little sternly. ‘Sleep deprivation is a serious matter and you can’t afford to be impaired on this job. What did you do?’

‘Well, don’t tell Demelza but I went to the library.’ Ross said. ‘I can’t understand why she said I’d get lost. It’s just one big room. I didn’t get lost at all.’  
‘  
He stopped at the look of mild horror on Dwight’s face. 

‘You went into the library?’ He looked at Cain and the golem seemed as bemused as he was. ‘And you came back out again.’

‘’Yeah.’ Ross was confused by their reactions. ‘Why wouldn’t I?’

‘Oh, no reason.’ Dwight replied and sipped his tea. Ross frowned. 

‘Is it something to do with the other person that lives here?’ he asked. ‘The one with the bad attitude and a taste for classical literature?’

That made Dwight drop his tea and Cain suddenly turn and pay great attention to what he was doing at the stove. 

‘Fuck.’ Dwight got up and went to get a dishcloth to mop the table. He glared at Ross. ‘You were supposed to stay out of there.’

‘I know.’ Ross was unrepentant. ‘But that’s only because Mary told me I would get lost, not that there’s someone creeping around here at night and hurling insults at people from the fucking rafters.’ He decided to press his advantage. ‘Who is he?’

Dwight sighed and looked at Cain, who gave him a shrug.

‘I suppose you’re going to find out eventually.’ he said. ‘That was Jim.’

‘And who the fuck is Jim?’ Ross asked, narrowing his eyes at them. Dwight gave Cain another look and when he turned back his eyes were guarded. 

‘The IT guy.’ he replied.


	5. Day One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ross' first day at work starts off interesting and goes downhill from there.

Down below, Jim got ready for bed. 

He’d slept in a casket for the first hundred years of his undead existence but now he favoured a small brick lined room at the back of the tunnels that ran like a maze from the server room and down. It was cool and suited Jim to the ground. His bed was a simple cast iron affair that he’d used since he was brought to the Sanctuary and he kept nothing else in there beside a dress rail and heavy teak chest of drawers that he used for his clothes. 

He stripped off his t-shirt and bundled it up, chucking it into the wicker laundry basket in the corner. Unlike other vampires he’d known, Jim had little in the way of personal possessions. Apart from his clothes, the only other things he kept here were a gold pocket watch given to him by Silver and his tablet, a high spec device that he’d tinkered with until it was virtually unrecognisable. 

Jim took his jeans and boxers off and got into bed, the fine linen sheets so well worn they felt like velvet on his bare skin. He piled his pillows up and made himself comfortable and then accessed the Sanctuary’s security cams from the tablet. The light shone on his face, making his eyes look luminous. Jim ignored the glare and fixed his attention on the cam for the kitchen, fingers dancing over the screen as he brought it into focus. 

Dwight was at the table with the new guy. Demelza had told him about Ross before he’d arrived and Jim had seen the file they had from the MOD. 

What he hadn’t expected was someone quite so...unexpected. 

Ross had surprised him, and that was very hard to do after more than two centuries. Jim had been surprised by his eloquence when he’d been speaking to Demelza and his lithe grace had drawn Jim’s appreciative eye. He’d always had a penchant for handsome men, especially tall dark ones, and Ross Poldark was quite to his tastes. 

Then he’d come across him in the library and far from being intimidated by him, Ross had held his ground and that had impressed Jim even more. He’d taken their little encounter in his stride, taking the book and leaving Jim to watch from his vantage point on the ceiling. He’d thrown the little remark about the Greek and Ross had retaliated without missing a beat. Jim knew from his file just how intelligent he was, but had been pleased to find that it was borne out by his character. 

With that in mind he’d done something strictly against the rules and hacked into the security system in Ross’ room, watching him read in bed for a few hours. He’d been fascinated, his eyes fixed on Ross’ face and seeing far more than any human would have. Ross never seemed to fully relax, even when he’d finally laid the book down. It hadn’t mattered that the light was off. Jim’s night vision was superlative, and he’d seen the way Ross had twitched and shaken in his sleep. He’d been dreaming and it looked like the things he was seeing were not particularly pleasant. It made Jim wonder just what he’d been through before. He’d known soldiers in his former lives, and war was war regardless of how it was conducted. Now they called it PTSD and treated it with psychiatric methods but Jim could now see why Mary had chosen this one. He had a fearlessness about him and obviously wasn’t afraid of the unknown, but he was haunted by his own personal demons and that was something all the inhabitants of the Sanctuary had in common. 

It was intriguing and Jim hadn’t had much to be intrigued about for a very long time.

He watched them talk for a little while longer, fingers drifting over the screen as he zoomed in and traced the lines of Ross’ face before finally switching off and laying the tablet down on the chair that served as his bedside table. 

He lay down and thought about the last time he’d had an entanglement with a human. It had been a good century before, a young man who’d ultimately ended up dead before his time. Jim still missed him in an abstract kind of way. His kind were not given to grand love affairs. Emotional connections led to misery and often dying at the end of something sharp and pointy. 

Still, a little dalliance with the handsome soldier now sitting in the Sanctuary’s kitchen might not go amiss.

************

Ross couldn’t get any answers out of Dwight and Cain was definitely not talking, so he stashed his questions about the man he’d met in the library for another time. 

After breakfast he and Dwight went upstairs to the offices that Mary had told him about and Ross stared in amazement at the equipment that would not have been out of place in an ops centre. 

‘This is some seriously high tech stuff.’ He glanced at Dwight and got a grin.

‘Mary likes to keep us ahead of the game.’ he replied. ‘Not to mention the fact that we have a serious amount of money at our disposal. Wait until you seem my surgery.’

‘Where does it come from?’ Ross was curious.

‘Some very long term investments.’ Dwight chuckled. ‘This place goes back centuries and I believe the founder made some very shrewd property deals while he was alive. Not to mention that he was seriously into collecting.’

‘Like antiques?’ Ross asked and got a nod. 

‘Something like that.’ Dwight replied. ‘Now, we’ve got a few things to take care of.’ He beckoned to Ross and Ross followed him from the main room and down the corridor. 

Dwight’s suite of rooms was at the end of the passage and Ross was once again amazed to find that Dwight had used the word surgery literally. The room itself was all gleaming steel surfaces and had fully equipped an operating table. It was adjoined by a small laboratory space which also appeared to serve as an examination room, and finally a book lined room with a desk and computer that served as Dwight’s office. 

He took Ross into the lab and gestured for him to sit down. Ross took a seat on the examination table and watched as Dwight opened the small desk top fridge and took out some vials. 

‘So what are you giving me?’ he asked and Dwight grinned. 

‘I don’t think you really want to know.’ he replied and opened a draw for syringes and hypodermic needles.

‘I’d rather know.’ Ross raised an eyebrow at him. ‘Especially after Mary said that it’s not your usual run of the mill vaccinations shit.’

‘Yeah, that would be correct.’ Dwight was now filling a syringe from one of the vials. ‘Okay, so you know Howard Carter?’

‘As in the guy who opened Tutankhamun’s tomb?’ Ross asked and he nodded. 

‘The very same.’ He came over to him, his hands now covered in surgical gloves and with the syringe in one hand and a tourniquet in the other. ‘Sleeve up.’

Ross shoved the sleeve of his black henley to the elbow and held out his arm. 

‘Are you saying I’m about to be vaccinated against ancient Egyptian curses?’ He was smiling. This all seemed rather dramatic. 

‘That is exactly what I’m vaccinating you against.’ Dwight laughed. ‘Then it’ll be the plague, the Red Death and the Solanum virus.’

‘What the fuck is that?’ Ross was bemused. 

‘Makes zombies.’ Dwight tightened the tourniquet around his arm and then injected him with professional efficiency. ‘All the antiviruses are pretty stable and we’ve never had anyone have an adverse reaction, but if you should experience itching, burning or the urge to eat brains I seriously suggest you let me know.’

‘I’d like to think you’re joking, but I am pretty sure you’re not.’ Ross grimaced as he was subjected to another injection as Dwight switched out hypodermics.

‘We’ll give this a few days to settle and then I’ll need to take a few pints from you as well.’ Dwight said. ‘We keep everyone’s blood just in case we need it.’

‘Makes sense.’ Ross was now looking around. ‘So what else do you do here?’

‘Mostly I fix up everyone who comes through our doors that needs it.’ Dwight replied. ‘A lot of our cases come in injured or sick. It’s often why they end up on our radar in the first place.’ He shrugged. ‘It’s how I did. Lycanthropy has two forms, genetic and viral. Mine’s viral and it made me pretty damn sick. Unfortunately, the sickness manifests as an insatiable desire to rip people and animals to shreds.’

‘Now that I didn’t know.’ Ross looked at him in interest. ‘So how much of it is legend and how much is truth?’

‘Well, a lot of legend has its feet in fact.’ Dwight said. ‘I transform on the full moon or in situations that are life threatening, anything that makes me react strongly. I am extremely allergic to silver but that’s pretty much it.’

‘So how are you different?’ Ross asked.

‘Genetic lycanthropes are able to transform at will into a full wolf form, something I struggle with.’ Dwight explained. ‘They also have better senses, but they are just as susceptible to silver.’

‘You could smell the ink.’ Ross. ‘That’s pretty amazing.’

‘I do all right.’ Dwight conceded. ‘Mary uses me to track sometimes, but I’m not particularly fond of fieldwork. That’s more Dem’s field and yours now, of course.’ He injected the final vial of medication and then pressed a swab over the puncture wound and taped it off. ‘Right, that’s you done. I have your medical reports from the MOD. By all accounts you’re in peak physical condition.’ He nodded at Ross’ scar. ‘That was from the djinn attack?’

‘Yes.’ Ross got down from the examination table. ‘It threw me across a tunnel.’

‘They are very strong.’ Dwight said. ‘I’m amazed that’s all it did.’

‘It burned my entire team.’ Ross replied. ‘I still don’t understand why I’m still alive.’

‘Who can say?’ Dwight watched him as he stripped off his gloves. ‘Mary told me that only one out of a hundred werewolf bite victims survives. My girlfriend didn’t.’ His normally affable expression dimmed and Ross felt sympathy. 

‘It doesn’t seem fair, does it.’ He shook his head. ‘I would give anything to go back and save them.’

‘Sometimes fate has other ideas.’ Dwight replied. ‘One of the other Sanctuary heads is a pretty powerful medium. She says that a lot.’

‘So now I’m all medicated up, what else are we doing?’ Ross asked and the smile came back onto Dwight’s face. 

‘Let’s go help Ben feed the residents and I can do my checks.’ he said. ‘You can meet everyone else and once we’re done, it’ll be lunch time.’

‘Sounds good.’ Ross smiled and followed him.

***********

Demelza walked through the foyer of the building like she owned it and no-one challenged her. She got to stairs and made her way up, passing people in suits who gave her curious glances and yet had the good sense to know that she was not to be spoken to. 

Her destination was a room right at the top of the building, formerly known as the war office and now used for all types of administration. It had been the place her mother had come for her meetings with the officials who had been responsible for the liaisons between the government and the Sanctuary. Now she was the one who handled this aspect of the Sanctuary’s work, although it was unusual for the man she was meeting to call her to come see him directly. It was usually Anthony who she spoke with. However, it was his boss who had first turned Mary onto Ross Poldark and told her she should recruit him. 

The top floor was completely quiet. The man she was seeing loathed people generally, although he made concessions for her and her mother. He was widely considered to be the curmudgeonliest member the Sanctuary had ever produced and his extended lifespan, a side effect of the vampire blood he’d received to boost his not inconsiderable mental powers, had just reinforced his solitary habits. He was also her godfather and the closest thing Demelza had to a male relative, apart from her actual father who had long since been lost to history. 

She got to his rooms and opened the door to admit herself. The entire place was dimly lit with the only real illumination coming from the sky lights at the top of the room. Along with long life, her godfather had also acquired an intolerance to light that, while it didn’t cause him to burst into flames like it would Jim should he ever be unlucky enough to get caught outside during daylight, did make his eyes extremely sensitive. 

The room was crowded with bookshelves and smelled musty. Demelza threaded her way through and got to an open space. There was a fire burning in the fireplace and she smiled at the figure sitting in the chair waiting for her. 

‘Hello my dear.’ Mycroft Holmes raised his head and returned her smile, sharp eyes glinting behind his smoked glasses. ‘Do come and sit down.’

**********

Ross was back in his previous state of complete and utter amazement. 

For the past three hours, he had helped Ben chop up all manner of foods, from innocuous fruit and vegetables to the collective internal organs of a large bovine and ending up with a large bag of what turned out to be human teeth, before accompanying him and Dwight on their rounds of the Pen’s inhabitants. 

There were all sorts of creatures that Ross could only stare at and many that he had never even heard of. They were now on the third level at a large enclosure that had a built in pool and housed several water-hounds and he was amused by the way they twisted and dove for the fish that Ben was feeding them from a platform above. 

‘These are all non-sentient.’ Ben was saying. ‘They’re animals, just very unusual ones. Most sentient cryptids live in either closed communities or pretend to be human.’ He came back down the ladder to the platform. ‘Yetis and Sasquatch are actually very solitary creatures so we are kind of hard to track down but some are very sociable and live together.’ He nodded at Dwight. ‘Genetic werewolves all live in packs, as do most shape shifting species.’

‘It’s true.’ Dwight sounded a little envious. 

‘So if everyone here is like you, then what’s Jim?’ Ross had been dying to ask. He noted how they exchanged looks. ‘What? Can’t I ask?’

‘It’s not that.’ Ben shrugged. ‘Jim’s kind of funny about people knowing.’

That, of course, only served to make Ross even more curious. 

‘So he’s supernatural, like you two?’ he queried and Dwight sighed. 

‘I suppose there’s no real harm.’ He looked at Ben for confirmation. ‘I mean he does work here now.’

‘Dude, don’t look at me.’ Ben held up his huge hands. 

‘Would one of you tell me?’ Ross asked. ‘Because otherwise I’m just going to go find out for myself.’

There was another look between them and Dwight finally gave in. 

‘He’s a vampire.’ he said and Ross started laughing. 

‘Your IT guy’s a vampire?’ He found the whole notion surprisingly funny. 

‘Turns out vamps like computers.’ Ben explained. ‘And Jim’s damn good at it. He can hack pretty much anything you ask him to. He’s one of the reasons Trump gets so pissed off every morning. Ever since he got into the White House, Jim keeps changing his official screensavers to a picture of his face superimposed on the head of an Oompa Loompa.’ He snickered. ‘Not that it’s not funny.’

‘Your IT guy hacks the president of the United States?’ Now Ross was back in bemused territory. 

‘And Theresa May.’ Dwight was now laughing. ‘He keeps charging her official Whitehall expense account with the worst parody pornography he can find.’ 

‘The best part is that no-one can figure out it’s him.’ Ben chuckled. ‘And even if they did, no-one could touch him.’

‘Why not?’ Ross asked and they gave each other that shady look again. 

‘Mary’s going to kill us.’ Ben warned. 

‘He should know what he’s dealing with.’ Dwight countered. ‘Okay so you know how I said that there are genetic werewolves and viral werewolves. Well, vamps are a bit like that too. You get true vampires, vampires who were born vampires. Then you get made vampires. Those are humans who were turned by another made vampire. True vampires almost never turned people. They are also much stronger than made vampires and a fuckload more dangerous.’

‘So what is Jim?’ Ross asked.

‘Well, he’s special.’ Ben replied. ‘Jim’s the last true vampire that we know of.’

‘So vampires are like almost extinct?’ Ross looked at them and Dwight shook his head. 

‘No.’ he said. ‘There’s a shitload of made vampires running around. They’re the ones that are the problem. They infest cities and just go mental. Half the serial killings people think are going on are just vampire nests.’

‘The thing is, true vampire blood is a very powerful thing.’ Ben explained. ‘It has the ability to bring out latent powers in people who are predisposed to them. It also makes you live a very long time. That means that it’s a very valuable commodity and a lot of people would love to get their hands on it.’ He huffed. ‘Jim’s worth even more on the black market than I am.’

‘He lives here pretty much full time.’ Dwight added. ‘Mary doesn’t like him going out too much. She worries about him.’

‘She worries about him?’ Ross frowned. ‘But if he’s as strong as you say he is…?’

‘Jim’s still technically very young for a vampire.’ Dwight said. ‘He’s only two hundred years old. There are made vampires out there that are far older than he is. True vamps age extremely slowly, about a factor of ten to one. Edward found him when he was only fifty-one, so still a child really. He was haunting an old nest in Budapest, picking off the made vampires one by one. They’d apparently kidnapped him and killed his parents and were holding him prisoner.’ He grinned. ‘Of course, even a baby true vamp is more than a match for a bunch of made ones and he pretty much ate all of them before Edward found him. He was going to eat him too, but Edward told him he could come out of the nest and be free and Jim thought that sounded pretty good so here he is.’

‘That is incredible.’ Ross stared at him. ‘So he’s been here the whole time? And who the fuck is Edward?’

************

‘They have been making inroads into the desert.’ Mycroft poured them both another cup of tea. ‘They’re going to find it soon. And then we will all have to be extremely careful.’

‘Agreed.’ Demelza was frowning. ‘But there have been several found already. How do we know this is the real one?’

‘Intelligence suggests extremely high amounts of radioactivity in that particular region.’ Mycroft answered. ‘And there are the disappearances, of course. The number has been increasing recently. The recruitment of Captain Poldark is going to prove most beneficial in this case, I believe.’ He smiled at Demelza over his tea-cup. ‘How is he settling in?’

‘Surprisingly well.’ Demelza replied. ‘Considering he’s mostly human.’

‘Ah but it’s the mostly that counts, is it not?’ Mycroft chuckled.


	6. There Are No Emergency Exits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ross starts to realise just what he's let himself in for. He thinks he might like it.

Jim woke with a start, fangs out and growling into the empty room.

He sat still as he breathed in the cold air, nostrils flaring at the tiny hint of something that should not have been where it was. He threw the covers back and grabbed his discarded jeans, pulling them on before he left the room. 

In the passage outside, he tilted his head and listened. The people on the tunnels were obviously professionals, but they hadn’t counted on what they might encounter coming through here. Break-ins were usually ordered by the Cabal, but these ones didn’t smell like Cabal. For one thing they were human, and carrying hardware. Jim caught the scent of gun oil and explosives and wondered just which idiots had thought it was a good idea to try and infiltrate the Sanctuary in the middle of the day. 

He climbed the wall, using the bricked ceiling to make his way along the top of the tunnel as he crawled towards the source of the scent.

************

They finished feeding and doing all the checks on the animals and ascended to the main level of the Sanctuary. As they did though, Dwight and Ben’s mobile phones started buzzing. They gave each other a startled look and took them out. 

‘What’s happening?’ Ross asked and they immediately ushered him along with them in the direction of the living room. 

‘Someone’s coming through the tunnels.’ Ben explained as they went inside, going to the far wall. He touched a piece of seemingly innocuous carving on the ornate fireplace surround and a section of the wood paneling slid back to reveal a cavity in the wall. ‘They’ve just tripped one of Jim’s security systems.’

Ross stared past him, hardly hearing what he’d said. The cavity was lined with weapons, all state of the art stuff. 

‘Jesus Christ.’ His eyebrows went up. ‘What the hell is that?’

‘Dem’s got stashes all over the house.’ Ben replied. ‘Which one do you want?’

‘Me?’ Ross was briefly confused, but then his training kicked in and he stepped forward, grabbing the nearest rifle from the wall holding. It was an IWI X95, light and compact and perfect for close quarter shooting. 

‘Of course.’ Dwight was taking his shirt off and folding it up before he placed it on the sofa. ‘You’re the soldier.’

Ross saw that Ben was doing the same and then realised something. 

‘Oh.’ He felt a little excited at the prospect of getting to see them transform. ‘Is there anything I need to know?’

‘Just stay out of the way if Ben starts swinging.’ Dwight laughed. 

***********

The man in front held up a fist and the column behind them stopped. They were all in black tactical gear, faces masked and night vision on. He frowned as he squinted through his goggles, not quite believing what he was seeing.

Then the thing he was watching dropped from the ceiling onto them and the screaming started. 

***********

They were now down in a brick lined tunnel, having come down from a door in the library and walked through a series of tunnels that twisted and turned in almost every direction, going further and further down under the building. 

‘This is the oldest part of the Sanctuary.’ Dwight hissed. He and Ben were behind Ross, and Ross huffed at him to keep quiet. He was on point, weapon raised in readiness as they made their way through the gloom. 

It was quiet. Too quiet. Both Ben and Dwight were barefoot, but Ross could literally only hear them and not anyone else. He gave them a glance over his shoulder and hissed at them. 

‘Where are they supposed to be exactly?’ He watched Ben take out his mobile and then gesture in front of them. 

‘About a hundred meters that way.’ His dark eyes had an odd glow to them, and now Ross could smell something similar to the way Dwight smelled, that unmistakable animal note.

‘Wait.’ Dwight’s voice had changed to a low growl. ‘Something’s wrong.’ His eyes were also glowing now, a warm amber in the darkness. Ross caught a glimpse of sharp white fangs as he lifted his head and air scented. ‘Oh fuck…’

‘Goddammit.’ Now Ben was doing the same. ‘He’s supposed to be sleeping.’ 

They both burst past him and Ross was left standing with his metaphorical dick in his hand, trying to figure out what had just happened. He took off after them, boots pounding the brick and sounding unnaturally loud in his ears. He eventually came around a corner and ran flat into Ben, bouncing off like he’d hit a brick wall and momentarily stunned at just how muscular he was. 

The he caught the smell.

It seemed to permeate the very air and when Ross turned the torch on his weapon on, all he could see was red. It smeared the walls and floor and when he looked back at Dwight, the werewolf’s teeth were bared as he snarled and growled at the stink of blood. 

In front of them, the ruin that had once been a group of living, breathing people gleamed as the light hit blood stained clothing and gear. There were glimpses of things that might have been bones or internal organs as well, and Ross felt his stomach knot and nausea rise in his mouth. 

In the middle was a figure, holding one of the men up as if cradling him. It had its head bowed and Ross could see light hair stained to copper by the blood and pale skin that was barely visible under a film of red. 

‘Jim.’ Ben stepped forward. ‘Hey. Stop it.’

The thing raised its head, face still hidden, and hissed like an angry snake. It dropped back down and kept feeding and Ben made an annoyed noise. 

‘Shit.’ He looked at Ross. ‘Shoot him.’

‘What?’ Ross was appalled. ‘What the fuck do you want me to do that for?’

‘Because right now, he’s blood blind.’ Ben said, sounding more exasperated than anything else. ‘He’s in a feeding frenzy and we can’t leave him like this. Besides, all the blood’s making Dwight wolf out and we need to get away unless we want him to start eating the evidence.’ He made a reassuring rumbling noise. ‘It’s okay. It won’t hurt him, it’ll just pull him out of it.’

‘Fuck.’ Ross aimed and pulled off a quick double tap. The rounds hit true, landing between the thing’s shoulder blades and it roared and then sprang to its feet and turned and Ross saw that it was human shaped, or at least an approximation as its face twisted and settled back in, the gaping maw re-hinging. Now he was looking at the face of a man, even if it was a gore splattered and blood-soaked one. Jim shook himself once like a wet dog, and there was a metallic clink as the rounds fell to the floor. 

‘That fucking hurt.’ He sounded slightly offended, like Ross had stepped on his foot and not put two bullets in him. 

Ross could only stare at him. He’d been expecting Jim to be young, but the angelically beautiful face looking back at him was still a surprise. Light blue-green eyes regarded him as the vampire raised a hand and wiped his mouth, not doing much more than just moving the blood around. 

‘You bought the new guy down here?’ He gave Ben an accusatory look. 

‘The new guy needed to help us if there were pros.’ Ben replied, moving to look at the dead men. ‘How many were there?’ 

‘Who knows?’ Jim replied, stretching like an overlarge cat. ‘The fuckers woke me up.’

‘You know Mary says we’re supposed to just disable them.’ Ben had a disapproving look on his face. ‘Keep them for questioning.’

‘They. Woke. Me. Up.’ Jim repeated, fangs glinting as he snarled at him. ‘I don’t like that. I also don’t like you bringing someone down here that I don’t fucking know.’ Now Ross was on the receiving end of a furious glare and that immediately got his back up. 

‘Fuck you, mate.’ he retorted. ‘Like I wanted to start my fucking first day at work like this.’

That made Jim’s light eyes widen and then narrow dangerously. He stepped forward, his posture threatening, and Ross instantly moved to meet him, weapon up and trained on the vampire. 

‘Back up.’ he ordered. ‘You don’t scare me.’

‘Or what?’ Jim’s hiss was venomous. ‘You’ll shoot me in the back again?’

‘Dudes.’ Ben moved to get between them. ‘Can we just chill?’

The sound of a pained whine behind them made them all fall quiet and turn around.

‘Can we please get out of here?’ Dwight asked plaintively and they saw him morphing frantically between wolf and human features, doubled over in what looked like extreme discomfort. ‘I really don’t want to eat anyone today.’

‘Great.’ Jim snorted, shoving past Ross and going to him. ‘Look what you two did. You made Dwight feel sick bringing him down here.’

‘Me?’ Ben was outraged. ‘You’re the one who’s practically redecorated the fucking place with everyone’s insides.’ He was also moving and between them they got the werewolf up and moving, bickering as they left the tunnel and headed back along the way to the library. 

That left Ross standing once again and he huffed in annoyance and looked at the dead bodies around his feet. 

‘Fucking wonderful.’ he muttered to himself. ‘Everyone here’s a fucking nutter.’ 

He stalked off after them, wondering not for the first time what the hell he’d gotten himself into. 

They got back upstairs and deposited Dwight in the kitchen. Jim immediately went to the fridge and came back with a bottle of water, handing it to Dwight while he disappeared again and Ross could only hope that he’d gone to go wash the blood off of him. 

‘Okay, a few questions.’ he started and Ben held up a hand as he went to crouch by Dwight. 

‘Deep breaths.’ he rumbled, taking the bottle of water from him and cracking the top. ‘In and out, with me.’ He did the same and Dwight followed his example, the bones in his face eventually smoothing out and his growls tailing off as he shifted back into his human form. 

‘For fuck’s sake.’ he grumbled, taking the water and downing half of it. ‘I wish he wouldn’t fucking do that.’

‘Speaking of.’ Ross interjected, his grasp of his patience finally crumbling. ‘What the bloody hell are we going to do about the pile of body parts in the fucking tunnels under this house?’

‘Nothing.’ Ben replied. ‘Cain will take care of it, hide them so Jim can’t go back and snack.’ He grinned at Dwight. ‘Or you for that matter.’

‘Bugger off.’ Dwight snapped. ‘He’ll need to keep them, actually. I can examine them for clues. Get him to put them in the morgue.’

‘No problem.’ Ben got up and strolled out like he hadn’t just been witness to a mass murder and left them alone.

‘What the fuck?’ Ross stared at Dwight in disbelief. ‘What the hell happened down there?’

‘We have enemies, Ross.’ Dwight replied. ‘Both human and supernatural. Jim’s our defense system as well as our IT support.’ he gave an exaggerated shiver. ‘I don’t really like killing, neither does Ben. It’s another reason we need you. Things have been happening recently. This isn’t the first incursion into the Sanctuary.’

‘What do these people want?’ Ross asked and he sat down opposite Dwight, frowning when Dwight chuckled. 

‘What don’t they want?’ He sighed. ‘There’s so much that you need to know, but it’s going to be Mary’s place to explain that. I can tell you that this is nothing. I hope you’re prepared.’

‘Fuck.’ Ross let his head fall back. ‘I’m starting to regret signing that contract.’ 

‘Too late for that.’ The voice was cutting and Ross looked up to see Jim coming back into the kitchen. ‘You’re in now. No escaping.’ He was dressed and clean, all traces of blood gone and looking remarkably normal, dressed in jeans and trainers and a hoodie. His eyes were noe identifiable as halfway between blue and green, a clear aquamarine colour that was complimented by his almost transluscently pale skin and bright blond hair. He shoved his hands in his pockets and gave Ross a thorough inspection. 

Ross met his eyes and held the look, noting how Jim tilted his head a little to one side, nostrils flaring ever so slightly. 

‘I guess I better get used to that.’ His dry tone was directed at Dwight as well. ‘Sniffing seems to be part of the conditions of the job.’

‘It’s how we gauge people.’ Dwight sounded a bit defensive, but Ross noticed that he was watching Jim carefully. ‘So I guess this is a good time for official introductions. Ross Poldark meet Jim Hawkins.’

‘You read the book.’ Jim suddenly said and Ross frowned. 

‘Yeah?’ He was bemused. ‘Why does that have anything to do with what just happened.’

‘It doesn’t.’ Jim replied. ‘Come on.’ He turned and now Ross was even more confused. 

‘You better go with him.’ Dwight stood up. ‘I’ll have a chicken burger. Ben too.’ This was directed to Jim.

‘Fine.’ Jim stopped and narrowed his eyes at Ross. ‘Move your arse, Captain. I’m hungry.’

Ross was so taken aback, he followed. 

*********

They went out the front door, walking across the ornamental lawn and past the fountain. It was now afternoon and the sun was already down, the mid winter light leaching all the colour from the darkening sky. Ross had stopped to grab his coat and fingerless gloves and we was now pulling his collar up against the fine rain that was falling. Jim seemed unbothered by the bitter cold, slouched with his hands still in his pockets as he walked with a singleminded determination.   
‘Where are we going.’ Ross asked and Jim ignored him, cutting across the road and getting hooted at as traffic slammed to stop to avoid running him over. Ross swore and chased after him, looking up at the sign for one of the ubiquitous chicken and pizza places that dotted London’s suburbs. 

Jim was already going in and Ross followed on his heels. He came to a stop at the counter next to him and saw that the place was more or less empty. A young man came to serve them and Ross was surprised to hear Jim ordering in Farsi. He was also surprised by the extent of the order, enough food to feed ten people. He waited until Jim stopped speaking and then glanced at him. 

‘What? No potato wedges?’ he asked and Jim’s split second look of surprise made him want to smile in triumph. 

‘You understood that?’ he asked and Ross gave him a smug grin and added his own order in the same language. The man behind the counter didn’t bat an eye and went off to deliver it to the kitchen. He turned to see Jim now watching him intently. There was something vaguely reptilian about those cold eyes, and Ross thought about the cobras that he used to run across in the desert. 

‘I have a file, don’t I?’ he asked, adding the slightest bit of sneer to his words. ‘So I presume that you’re now just fishing.’

‘Fair enough.’ Jim lifted his chin, almost defiant. ‘You’re a polyglot. A good one too.’ 

‘I am.’ Ross regarded him, arms now folded. ‘And you’re what you are. That’s interesting to say the least.’ He frowned. ‘What were you doing in the library and were you the reason I was told to stay out?’

‘Reading and yes.’ Jim moved away from the counter and Ross followed. ‘Mary doesn’t like it when I eat the new people.’

‘Oh?’ Ross had to admit he was intrigued in spite of himself. ‘And I’m assuming that you do this often if today was anything to go by.’

‘It happens.’ Jim replied. He stepped forward and Ross got a hint of something. It was dark, sweet and it turned his stomach under the body spray Jim was wearing over it. It reminded him of the tunnels that he’d nearly died in and he bit back an urge to retch. 

Jim smiled, dimples springing to life and showed off perfectly white even teeth as he did so. 

‘I make you uncomfortable.’ He tilted his head again, curiosity clear in his eyes. ‘You know something’s off.’ He stepped even closer and Ross wanted to move back from him, all the hair on the back of his neck standing up. He steeled himself and squared his shoulders, using his superior height to stand his ground. He opened his mouth to answer, but then was interrupted by the server returning with a quantity of brown paper bags. 

Jim huffed a laugh and paid for the food, handing some of the bags to Ross. His hands were ice cold where their fingertips brushed. He waited until they were outside and walking back before he spoke again. 

‘You shouldn’t be able to do that.’ he said.

‘What?’ Ross barked the question, feeling horribly thrown by everything. 

‘Know I’m a predator.’ Jim glared at him. ‘You escaped a djinn. Nobody human could do that.’

‘Oh, now I’m not human?’ Ross scoffed. ‘Like I’ll believe someone who’s clearly got sociopathic tendencies.’

‘I’m not a sociopath, Ross.’ Jim bit back. ‘I’m a vampire. It’s what I do.’ He slowed and then stopped and Ross saw they were now outside a corner shop. 

‘Let me guess?’ He didn’t care how sarcastic he sounded. ‘You have to be invited in?’ He stopped dead when he saw the scowl on Jim’s face. ‘Oh, you can’t be bloody serious.’

‘I want sour worms.’ Jim sounded like a petulant child. 

Ross gaped at him and then started laughing. 

‘This is fucking brilliant.’ he muttered and handed off the bags again, stomping through the door. He hunted along the shelves before finding the Haribo and grabbing a few bags of sour worms and some cola bottle for himself. He got to the counter and bought a packet of cigarettes as well. He’d actually quit smoking a few months before but hell if he didn’t feel justified in taking it back up again, especially after the day he’d had. 

Jim was bouncing on the balls of his feet, waiting impatiently for Ross to come back out before he handed back the bags and confiscated a packet of sour worms, ripping it open and stuffing a handful in his mouth. 

‘Okay, that I don’t get.’ Ross finally blurted as they started walking again. ‘You ate like five people in there. Why the junk food run?’

‘I burn energy just like you.’ Jim replied, his mouth full. ‘I need chemical fuel. The blood just keeps my body alive. It’s complicated.’ He gave Ross a sidelong look and offered the bag. ‘Dwight likes you. So does Ben. I can smell it.’   
‘More bloody sniffing.’ Ross huffed and took a handful, the sour sugar tingling on his tongue. 

They got back to the Sanctuary and went in, Jim slamming the front door shut. As they started in towards the kitchen, Demelza came down the corridor into the hall.

‘You!’ Her face was alight with anger. ‘I should bloody stake you for that!’

‘Whatever.’ Jim snorted and walked right past her. Demelza shook her head and then looked at Ross. 

‘Baptism by fire.’ Her smile was wry. ‘Guess you’ve met the whole family now. Still want to work here?’

Ross looked past her, his eyes following Jim as he disappeared around the corner. There was something about him that was niggling at him and he felt only the smallest reservation when he replied.

‘Yeah.’ He drew the word out. ‘I’m sure.’


End file.
